Australia is considering a U.S. request to send a warship to the Red Sea to help protect shipping from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The Yemeni Shiite jihadist terror organization, known more commonly as the Houthis, has vowed to block ships heading to Israel until the offensive on the Gaza Strip is ended, and on Tuesday fired a missile at a Norwegian tanker travelling through the vital sea lane, as Breitbart News reported.
That assault on the oil and chemical tanker Strinda expands a campaign by the Houthis targeting ships near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into apparently now striking those with no clear ties to Israel.
That potentially imperils cargo and energy shipments coming through the Suez Canal and further widens the international impact of the Israel-Hamas war now raging in the Gaza Strip.
AAP reports Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles said the federal government had yet to respond to the U.S. request made Wednesday.
The new Australian-built Guided Missile Destroyer HMAS Hobart enters Sydney Harbour on completion of Mariner Skills Evaluation (MSE).
“We’ll consider this request in due course, but I would note that the focus of our naval efforts right now are on our immediate region,” he told reporters in Darwin.
“In all of the decisions that we make, Australia’s national interests will be front and centre.”
Assistant Defence Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the government was working with the chiefs of the defence force and navy to see whether the ship could be provided.
“We’ve certainly had a tradition of being involved in allied operations where we’re upholding international laws and trying to secure peace and stability, particularly related to ongoing commerce,” he said.
Australia has had a presence in the Middle East, including five personnel in the region as part of an allied force aimed at securing shipping lanes, he said.
