The US Navy announced yesterday that it is in the process of forming a new multinational force that will confront arms smuggling in the waters surrounding Yemen, in the latest US military response to the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Washington has sought to reassure these two Gulf states - which according to diplomatic sources consider that the US commitment to the region is waning - by providing additional military support in the past few months after missile and drone attacks carried out by the Houthi group on the two countries.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, said that the new force will work from next Sunday to ensure the presence of a force and a deterrent position in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden.
"These are strategically important waters that require our attention," Cooper said in a telephone interview with reporters.
And the waters near Yemen are a major passage for global trade, including oil supplies, and in the past period, ships in the region have been targeted by the Houthis and other forces.
More than a decade ago, increased naval patrols helped reduce pirate attacks on merchant ships sailing in nearby waters.
In response to a question about air strikes from Yemen on US allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Cooper said the new force would affect the Houthis' ability to obtain the weapons needed for such attacks.
"We will be able to do it more dynamically and directly than we do today," he added.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the waters between Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen were known "smuggling corridors" for weapons destined for the Houthis.
"The new international force will certainly follow up on this issue," the official added.
Iran has long been accused of smuggling weapons to the Houthis, a charge Tehran denies.
The force will include between 2 and 8 ships, and is part of the 34-nation Combined Maritime Forces, which Cooper also commands and has 3 other task forces in nearby waters targeting smuggling and piracy activities.
The United States provided additional air defense support to Saudi Arabia and the UAE this year in the wake of the Houthi attacks, but diplomatic sources indicated that the Gulf states are still convinced that the United States' commitment to the region is declining.
It is noteworthy that the launch of the new force comes in light of a two-month truce in Yemen's nearly 7-year-old war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.