FARAAN: After the virtual meeting of American Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with ministers and officials of more than 40 countries, as well as representatives of the European Union and NATO, on December 18, 2023; America announced the formation of an international coalition in the Red Sea.
Analysis:
After three days, exactly on December 21, the US Ministry of Defense announced that in addition to the US, more than 20 countries, including England, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Bahrain, Greece, and Australia, have signed a contract to participate in the coalition while other countries prefer not to announce their participation.
It was clear from the beginning that the first and last goal of the US-led coalition is not the protection of international shipping, because nothing threatens this navigation and many ships are moving daily without anyone intercepting them, but rather the protection of navigation and shipping of the Israeli regime and the ships that travel in the occupied ports.
In response to the US announcement, the Yemeni armed forces threatened to attack the ships of the countries participating in the coalition, with missile, air and military attacks, and to attack the vessels of the US Navy in the region and the oil installations of Saudi Arabia and the UAE if they join the coalition.
This decisive and serious declaration of Yemen was enough to destroy the coalition before it was born. This is because the whole world witnessed the strength of the armed forces of Yemen in carrying out their threats, without paying the slightest attention to the heavy fleet of the United States and the West in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. They declared it conditional on the Israeli regime’s aggression against Gaza and the end of the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
After the threat to Yemen, the Western countries did not show enthusiasm to participate in the coalition. However, on the other hand, the French Ministry of Defense announced that its forces are currently operating in the region and not in the new coalition. The Italian Ministry of Defense announced that it will send a frigate to the Red Sea as part of its normal military activities to protect its national interests and ensure the security of Italian ships’ passage. While Spain refused to participate in the coalition and emphasized that the goals of the coalition are limited to fighting piracy.
Some countries also announced their very low participation, because Greece’s contribution to the coalition did not exceed one naval frigate. Norway announced its participation with 10 naval officers, the Netherlands sent two staff officers and Denmark only one officer. While Britain announced that it will send the destroyer “Diamond” to the region. Nonetheless, the Arab countries also distanced themselves from participating in the coalition, especially Saudi Arabia, which concluded a ceasefire with the Ansarullah movement, and only Bahrain among the Arab countries joined the “Guardian of Prosperity”!!
