Operation Prosperity Guardian
Operation Prosperity Guardian is a United States-led military operation by a multinational coalition formed in December 2023 to respond to Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
| Operation Prosperity Guardian | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Red Sea crisis and the Yemeni civil war | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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United States United Kingdom Australia Bahrain Canada Denmark Greece Netherlands New Zealand Norway Singapore Sri Lanka Supported by: Seychelles | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unclear (see Houthi armed strength) | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 deaths, 2 injured | Unknown | ||||||
Bab-el-Mandeb transits by cargo vessels
over 10,000 deadweight tonnage (approx)
After first Houthi ship seizure/attack (19 November 2023)
After naval protection operation started (18 December 2023)
After US/UK attack on Yemen mainland (12 January 2024)
Following the breakout of the ongoing Israel–Hamas war in October 2023, the Houthi movement in Yemen blockaded Israel in the Red Sea and launched a series of attacks against commercial vessels heading or related to Israel, with the stated purpose of preventing the bombing of Gaza and forcing Israel to let food and medicine into the strip. On 18 December 2023, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the formation of an international maritime security force aimed at ending the blockade and countering threats by Houthi forces against international maritime commerce in the region.
The coalition currently has more than 20 members, of which ten are anonymously involved. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both economically reliant on unhindered commercial shipping in the area, are absent from the listed participants. France, Italy and Spain have also declined to participate. The chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, Usama Rabia, claimed that "navigation traffic in the Suez Canal was not affected by what is happening in the Red Sea". Nevertheless, on 10 January, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution demanding a cessation of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels.
The day of the UNSC resolution, the Houthis launched their largest-ever barrage of 18–24 attack drones and missiles at international ships and warships in the Red Sea. In response, on 12 January, the coalition launched its first airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, to which the Houthis have pledged to retaliate.