New Zealand Deploys Troops To The Red Sea

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon/PHOTO via Instagram @christopherluxon

JAKARTA - Zealand Bar announced it would deploy a team of six-member defense personnel to the Middle East region to enforce maritime security in the Red Sea.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Defense Minister Judih Colling and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a joint statement that the troops would not enter Yemen.

"The Houthi attack on commercial and naval vessels is illegal, unacceptable and very disruptive to stability," said Luxon as quoted by ANTARA from Anadoolu, Tuesday, January 23.

He said the defense team "will join the defense position with ships in the Middle East, in accordance with international law, from operational headquarters in the region and elsewhere."

The deployment is mandated to end no later than July 31, 2024.

Tensions are rising in the Red Sea amid the Houthi attack on commercial ships suspected of being involved with Israel.

The Houthis said the attack was aimed at pressuring Israel to stop the deadly aggressive attack on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 25,295 people since the cross-border attack by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7.

In December 2023, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the formation of a multinational mission, Operation Property Guardian, to deal with the Houthis attack.

However, the US and Britain have launched airstrikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen in recent days in retaliation for the attack, raising fears of new inflationary attacks and supply chain disruptions.

The Red Sea is the most frequently used sea route in the world for oil and fuel shipments.

This route is used for transit between Egypt's Suez Canal and Aden Bay, allowing ships to avoid much more expensive and long routes across Africa's southern coast.