News - World: Russia says it’s not taking part in a new US-led operation aimed at focusing on the “security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of the ten-nation “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” involving the United States, Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

Spokesman of President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskiv said on Tuesday that Kremlin is “not taking part in the operation."

Austin said the operation was launched in response to increasing attacks from Yemen’s ports on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Yemen has warned it will prevent the passage of all ships in the sea bound to Israel, since the regime waged its war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

Bab el-Mandeb is a crucial waterway between Yemen and northeast Africa leading to the Red Sea, up to the Suez Canal and the Israeli port of Eilat.

Five big shipping companies have now stopped their ships using the Red Sea.

Yemen’s defense minister has warned against the formation of the maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of merchant vessels bound for Israel, saying any assault on Yemeni soil will have dire consequences.

Yemen’s Ansarullah movement also warned against the establishment of the coalition, saying the move would “threaten the security and stability in the region.”