The United States announced this week the creation of a multinational naval force to counter Yemen's blockade of the Red Sea. They also warned that they were ready to carry out military strikes in retaliation against the Arab country.

The stakes are considerable. By controlling the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which opens into the Indian Ocean, Yemenis control the vitally important global Red Sea shipping route. The impact of closing this chokepoint on global trade is enormous. This is why the Americans and their European allies took action by threatening retaliatory measures.

In response, the Yemeni armed forces, allied with the Houthi rebel movement, sent the Americans packing.

The Yemenis have warned they have ballistic missiles to sink any warship or submarine the United States and its allies deploy in the region. The Yemenis added that they would continue to block cargo ships using the Red Sea route until the genocide in Gaza stops.

Over the past week, Yemen has intensified its ban on cargo ships attempting to transit the Red Sea route. Several major shipping conglomerates have confirmed that their ships are being rerouted around the African continent. Additional transportation costs and disrupted supply chains are already increasing price inflation in Western economies, adding to already painful economic hardship and political damage for governments scorned by struggling populations.

The Yemenis say they are only targeting ships linked to Israel, but it appears the deteriorating security situation in the narrow maritime corridor is discouraging all shipping companies. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, 32 kilometers wide, straddles Yemen and the Horn of Africa. Hundreds of container ships and tankers use it every day to transport goods from Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, the other choke point further north, in Egypt. Closing a choke point results in the closure of the entire road.

The United States has attempted to portray the Navy task force as a law enforcement operation aimed at protecting international commerce and freedom of navigation.

The Yemenis, meanwhile, said their disruption of Israeli-affiliated shipping was a legitimate action in solidarity with the Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin announced the new naval coalition, dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian”. “The recent escalation of reckless Houthi attacks from Yemen threatens the free flow of trade, endangers innocent sailors and violates international law. The Red Sea is a waterway essential to freedom of navigation and a major trade corridor that facilitates international trade. Countries seeking to uphold the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation must come together to meet the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant ships of many nations which transit legally in international waters.

Mohammed Abdel-Salam, spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi rebels, responded: "The US-led coalition aims to protect Israel and militarize the Red Sea without any justification, and it will not prevent the Yemen to continue its legitimate support operations in Gaza. We do not demonstrate force against anyone [except Israel]. Anyone who seeks to extend the conflict must face the consequences of their actions.”

The Americans are trying to make it appear that the Yemenis are acting as criminal sea pirates and that the US-led task force nobly serves the interests of international trade and peaceful shipping.

Washington and its allies cannot publicly admit that their actions are aimed at supporting Israel. The genocidal offensive on Gaza since October 7, during which nearly 20 civilians were murdered, is politically untenable for Israel's Western allies.

The naval task force launched by the United States this week includes nine other nations: Britain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway, as well as the Seychelles and Bahrain. The latter two countries are token non-Western parties which give the impression that this is not overtly a Western imperialist coalition. Bahrain is where the US Navy's Fifth Fleet is based in the Persian Gulf, and so it makes sense that this small monarchy would be included in simple logistics.

However, the notable fact is that no other Gulf Arab nation is involved in the task force. Egypt is also absent, although it is an important Red Sea coastal country, as is Saudi Arabia. Their absence belies the official US justification. If Operation Prosperity Guardian was truly about protecting international trade and shipping, why aren't the Red Sea Arab states joining in? Of course, they don't, because the task force's real goal is to help Israel.

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