"U.S. Navy and Pentagon Collaborate to Safeguard Commercial Vessels in Red Sea"

The Pentagon is preparing to establish a maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect commercial vessels from Houthi rebel attacks. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney recently responded to four attacks against commercial vessels off the coast of Yemen. The Defense Department is in talks with allied nations to form the task force, but details on its composition and differences from existing task forces are not yet clear. The Pentagon has ruled out having Marines board commercial vessels for protection. Houthi officials have threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Pentagon believes the Israeli conflict in Gaza has been contained, but there are concerns about rocket drone attacks by other groups in Iraq and Syria.