Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated on Thursday that Egypt continues to cooperate with its partners to provide suitable conditions for free navigation in the Red Sea. In a press conference with his British counterpart, David Cameron, in Cairo, he affirmed that “the countries bordering the Red Sea bear the responsibility of protecting navigation freedom,” according to the Egyptian portal “Al-Ahram.”
Shoukry added, “We are working with the Red Sea littoral states to secure navigation.”
On his part, British Foreign Minister David Cameron said in the press conference that navigation in the Red Sea must be secured so that supply chains are not affected.
He also warned of the dangers of attacking ships in the Red Sea and stressed that this must be completely prevented. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday, December 18, the formation of a multinational force led by Washington named “Operation Sentinel of Prosperity” to secure navigation in the Red Sea. He described it as “a new and important multinational security initiative established under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and its Task Force 153, focusing on securing the Red Sea.”
According to the announced objectives of the operation, it will “confront security challenges, ensure freedom of navigation, and prevent targeting of ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait.” The operational scope of the participating forces will be the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In response to the American announcement, “Ansar Allah” confirmed that they refused direct communication with Washington on this matter and stated that their military response would be unprecedented. They threatened to sink American ships and turn the Red Sea into a graveyard for them if Washington undertook any military action against them, asserting their continued targeting of ships headed to Israel regardless of nationality until the war in Gaza stops.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the “Ansar Allah” group, announced on October 10 that his group would participate in missile and air attacks and “other military options” to support the Palestinian factions against the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
It is noted that the toll of the Israeli bombardment and ground operations in the Gaza Strip since October 7 has reached more than 20,000 dead and over 52,000 injured.
