The Red Sea crisis has recently become the focus of international attention.
According to India's Asia International News (ANI), on December 23, local time, an Israeli oil tanker sailing from Saudi Arabia to an Indian port was attacked by a drone 200 kilometers southwest of the Indian city of Veerawal, causing a fire. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished and there were no casualties.
This is the first time since the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that a ship has been attacked in a region far from the Red Sea.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Red Sea crisis spills over into the Indian Ocean, who is responsible for this?
But a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense pointed the finger at Iran, accusing "drones from Iranian directions" and saying that "this is the seventh Iranian attack on a merchant ship since 2021."
The United States accuses Iran of "involvement" in the attack Iran responds: possible blockade of the Mediterranean
On the 22nd local time, the United States accused Iran of being "deeply involved" in the Houthi attack on merchant ships in the Red Sea, saying that it had relevant classified information. Iran denied this, saying it had rejected the U.S. request to "stop the Houthis."
Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the coordinating commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that if the United States and its allies continue to commit crimes in the Gaza Strip, it could prompt the emergence of new resistance forces and the Mediterranean Sea could be blocked, Iran's Tasnim news agency Tasnim reported. However, he did not elaborate on how to do it.
Reuters analysis said that Iran itself does not have direct access to the Mediterranean Sea and does not have a large-scale naval deployment beyond the Persian Gulf, and it is not clear how the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps will block the Mediterranean.
Houthi drone hits Indian oil tanker U.S. military says it has responded to calls for help
On December 23, local time, an Indian-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea said it was hit by a drone launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels. Subsequently, the tanker sent a distress signal to a US warship in the area. The U.S. Central Command confirmed on social media that it had received reports of attacks on two ships in the southern Red Sea, and that the U.S. military had responded to the vessel's call for help.
In addition, the U.S. Central Command said through social media on the 23rd that two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched into the international shipping lane of the southern Red Sea that day, and the missiles did not affect any ships;
Yemen's Houthi rebels, members of the Resistance Front, have been attacking Israeli and U.S. military base targets since the start of a new round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on October 7. On November 19, the Houthis hijacked the cargo ship Galaxy Leader and has been held since then. Since December, the Houthis have frequently launched attacks on passing ships, triggering a response from nearby US and French warships.
The United States claims to have formed a 20-nation maritime alliance, but many countries have expressed ambiguous attitudes
Recently, a number of international shipping companies have announced the suspension of navigation in the Red Sea. In this regard, on the 18th local time, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin announced that a multinational maritime coalition had been formed to deter the Houthis and escort ships transiting the Red Sea.
Austin said that the countries joining the U.S.-led "Prosperity Guardian" operation include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain, each of which will contribute ships and other forces. On the 21st, Austin said that Greece and Australia had also joined the operation, bringing the total number of participating countries to 20.
However, a report by Reuters on the 22nd said that although the United States announced that 20 countries participated in the "Prosperity Guardian" operation, some of them did not finally confirm. France, for example, has a naval base in the United Arab Emirates, 1,500 troops in Djibouti, and the frigate Languedoc in the Red Sea. But the French Ministry of Defense said the forces would continue to be under French command.
And the response of the Italian and Spanish Ministries of Defense was more explicit. According to the Italian Ministry of Defense, Italy will send the frigate "Virginia Fasan" to the waters of the Red Sea, but this is in response to the appeal of Italian shipowners, not to participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian. According to the Spanish Ministry of Defense, the Spanish military will only participate in NATO- or EU-coordinated operations and will not unilaterally participate in US-led escort operations.
In addition to France, Italy, and Spain, a number of countries have provided very limited support. For example, Australia said it would have 16 Australian troops involved in the U.S.-led operation starting in 2024, the Netherlands said it would send two staff officers to Operation Prosperity Guardian, Norway said it would send 10 naval officers to the command headquarters in Bahrain, and Denmark said it sent only one officer to the operation.
Reuters said that as of the 22nd, among the participants in the "Prosperity Guardian" operation announced by the United States, only the United Kingdom and Greece announced that they would send warships to participate, of which the United Kingdom will send the Type 45 destroyer "Diamond", and Greece will send a frigate.
Commentator Cao Weidong believes that the US organization of the "escort formation" this time is completely to serve the interests of the United States and to serve Israel's military operations. Because the target of this attack is mainly the Houthis, mainly for the safety of these ships passing through the Red Sea to transport supplies in the direction of Israel, for their own selfish interests.
Don't Dance with the United States? The countries bordering the Red Sea are collectively silent and absent
What is intriguing is that in addition to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan and other Red Sea coasts, as well as other Middle Eastern powers such as the United Arab Emirates, have not joined the "Red Sea Escort Alliance" assembled by the United States.
According to Bloomberg and other media reports, people familiar with the matter revealed that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did not participate in the "Prosperity Guardians" because the two countries were at odds over how to deal with the situation in Yemen. While both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been at war with the Houthis, Saudi Arabia supports Yemeni government forces, while the UAE supports the separatist group Southern Transitional Council, which sometimes fights the Houthis and sometimes fights each other.
Commentator Cao Weidong analyzed why only Bahrain participated, because the base of the US Fifth Fleet was in Bahrain. These neighboring countries will not provide corresponding help to this "alliance" assembled by the United States, and you can participate if you want to, because everyone knows that if you (the United States) do not participate in the sea lane, the Red Sea channel may be safer and better. You've participated, and the Houthis have fought more intensely or fired more missiles.
Author丨Qin Feng, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV's "Military Intelligence Live Room".
Editor丨Duan Xiaoqing, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News
Typesetting丨Chen Pianpian, Shenzhen Satellite TV direct news editor