Houthi militants in Yemen say they will not stop attacking vessels in the Red Sea despite the formation of a U.S.-led task force to protect commercial shipping in the region. 

‘Our war is a moral war, and therefore, no matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop,’ Houthi ruling council member Mohammed Albukhaiti told The Washington Post Tuesday. 

Commercial vessels have for weeks been under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The Houthis say the attacks are in protest to Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.  

The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed. Others have rerouted their vessels, adding costs and delays. 

‘Participating in a coalition to protect the perpetrators of genocidal crimes is a disgrace in the history of the participating countries,’ Albukhaiti told The Post. ‘If America had moved in the right direction, it would have obliged Israel to stop its crimes without the need to expand the scope of the conflict.’

His comments came hours after the U.S. and a host of other nations announced the creation of a new task force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea. 

‘This is an international challenge that demands collective action,’ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement released just after midnight in Bahrain. ‘Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.’

There are about 400 commercial vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, an area roughly the size of Washington D.C. to Boston, at any given time. 

Under the new mission, the military ships will not necessarily escort a specific vessel, but will be positioned to provide umbrella protection to as many as possible at a given time, an official familiar with the plans told The Associated Press. 

Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, challenged the U.S.-created coalition on Tuesday, saying the Iranian-backed rebels would continue targeting Israel-linked vessels off Yemen.

‘The American-formed coalition is to protect Israel and militarize the sea without any justification, and will not stop Yemen from continuing its legitimate operations in support of Gaza,’ he wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

He said the Houthis’ attacks ‘are not a show of force nor a challenge to anyone,’ adding, ‘Whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of his actions.’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Trump’s competitors for the GOP nomination rallied around the former president on Tuesday evening after the Colorado Supreme Court removed him from the state’s 2024 ballot.

Though they want to defeat Trump at the ballot box, the former president’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination don’t want him to be knocked off the ballot.

The divided court ruled that Trump is ineligible to run for the presidency under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause, arguing that his actions fueled the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing protesters aiming to disrupt congressional certification of President Biden’s 2020 election victory.

The ruling came as Trump and three of his rivals – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and multi-millionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy – campaigned in Iowa with just under four weeks to go until the state’s caucuses lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar.

‘The Left invokes ‘democracy’ to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse,’ DeSantis wrote in a social media posting as he attacked what he viewed as judicial overreach.

Haley told reporters that ‘we don’t need to have judges making these decisions. We need voters to make these decisions. So I want to see this in the hands of the voters. We’re going to win this the right way.’

Ramaswamy, who is Trump’s biggest defender in the winnowed down field of remaining rivals for the nomination, vowed to withdraw his name from the Colorado primary ballot and encouraged his opponents to do the same.

‘This is what an *actual* attack on democracy looks like: in an un-American, unconstitutional, and *unprecedented* decision, a cabal of Democrat judges are barring Trump from the ballot in Colorado,’ he charged. ‘Having tried every trick in the book to eliminate President Trump from running in this election, the bipartisan Establishment is now deploying a new tactic to bar him from ever holding office again.’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Trump’s most vocal opponent in the GOP presidential nomination field, was campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday. The Granite State holds the first primary and second overall contest after Iowa in the Republican calendar.

Christie termed the Colorado ruling as ‘probably premature’ because the former president has yet to be tried for inciting the attack on the Capitol.

‘I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States by any court. I think he should be prevented from being President of the United States by the voters of this country,’ Christie emphasized.

Trump is the commanding front-runner for the Republican nomination as he runs for the presidency a third straight time.

Trump made history earlier this year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments — including in federal court in Washington, D.C., and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss — have only fueled his support among Republican voters.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog signaled on Tuesday that the Jewish state is ready to work out another foreign-mediated temporary cease-fire in Gaza. 

‘Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages,’ Herzog told a gathering of ambassadors, according to his office. 

‘And the responsibility lies fully with (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar and (other) Hamas leadership,’ he said, according to Reuters.

Last month, a seven-day pause brought the release of more than 100 hostages. 

‘The amount of humanitarian aid can be tripled instantaneously,’ Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, told a group of ambassadors from 80 countries at his Jerusalem residence on Monday. ‘You can triple the amount of trucks easily if there was only an effort by the United Nations and its partners. The world has to know that you could have had tens of thousands of tons a day more going into Gaza.’ 

According to the president’s office readout, Herzog also ‘noted that Israel was not in a war with the Palestinian people, but was fighting its enemy the terrorist organization Hamas.’

The Israeli president claimed Israel has been inspecting hundreds of trucks at its Nitzana Crossing each day but that United Nations agencies and partners on the ground are not keeping pace, resulting in just between 100–125 trucks entering a day. The U.N., meanwhile, has rejected the categorization, saying Israeli bombing has complicated safe delivery of aid. 

On Sunday, the Kerem Shalom Crossing opened for the first time to welcome aid trucks since Hamas’ October 7 attack prompted Israel’s declaration of war against the terror group operating in Gaza, Reuters reported. Before then, aid had been bottle-necking, coming solely through Gaza’s Rafah Crossing with Egypt. To abide by an agreement with the United States, the Israeli military said starting Sunday, U.N. aid trucks will undergo security checks and be transferred directly to Gaza via Kerem Shalom. 

Herzog’s remarks come after CIA Director William Burns jetted to Europe for talks with Israeli and Qatari officials Monday, sounding out the potential for a deal on a new cease-fire and the release of hostages in Gaza, as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli military leaders about scaling back major combat operations against Hamas.

Pressure is growing as France, the United Kingdom and Germany — some of Israel’s closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. Israeli protesters have demanded the government relaunch talks with Hamas on releasing more hostages after three were mistakenly killed by Israeli troops while waving a white flag.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concern about the large number of civilian deaths in Gaza. However, after talks with Israeli officials Monday, Austin said, ‘This is Israel’s operation. I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms.’ The U.S. has vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the United Nations and has rushed munitions to Israel.

The U.N. Security Council delayed to Tuesday a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the U.S. to abstain or vote ‘yes’ on the resolution, according to The Associated Press. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

GOP presidential candidate and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley let loose on her opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, this week for hitting the campaign trail in Iowa with a member of Congress who she called the ‘most anti-Israel Republican there is.’

DeSantis was joined at a Johnston, Iowa, town hall on Saturday by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who made headlines for a string of recent votes in the House of Representatives that saw him side with a number of Democrats, including the far-left ‘Squad,’ against bills in support of Israel.

‘Ron DeSantis – who says Ukraine’s a territorial dispute, and that this is Israel’s war, not America’s war – turns around and brings in a Republican into Iowa that is the most anti-Israel Republican there is,’ Haley told a crowd of supporters at a campaign event near Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday.

‘[Massie] voted with the ‘Squad’ against calling out antisemitism on college campuses, voted with the ‘Squad’ against hitting the presidents that were allowing it to happen, and voted with the ‘Squad,’ the only Republican, to turn around and ban the fact that we shouldn’t give $6 billion to Iran for five hostages. That’s who he brought to Iowa. So let him answer for that,’ she said.

Massie, a self-described Libertarian, has opposed much of the legislation in support of Israel introduced following the horrific Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas terrorists that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including babies. However, he has maintained that he is a supporter of Israel.

Last month, he voted against a resolution reaffirming the nation of Israel’s right to exist, joining Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., two members of the ‘Squad,’ in opposing the legislation. In a post on X following the vote, he cited the language within the resolution for his decision.

‘I agree with the title ‘Reaffirming the State of Israel’s Right to Exist’ and much of the language, but I’m voting ‘No’ on the resolution because it equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Antisemitism is deplorable, but expanding it to include criticism of Israel is not helpful,’ he wrote.

Massie also voted alongside 22 Democrats last month against a resolution condemning antisemitism on college campuses. He cited concerns over free speech as the reason for his vote.

‘Free speech means protecting speech you don’t like, not just speech you do like. Also, who defines antisemitism?’ he wrote in a post on X.

Additionally, Massie voted against the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act, a bill to freeze funds associated with the Iran hostage deal and impose maximum sanctions on the nation.

‘I’m voting against HR 5961 because there’s no legal or moral authority for us to freeze or steal assets of other countries we are not at war with. It’s also shortsighted for us to use our super-power status to force foreign banks to freeze assets of sovereign countries,’ he wrote on X about his vote.

DeSantis responded to criticism of his appearance with Massie during a Monday campaign event by stating that he did not see eye-to-eye with the congressman on foreign relations issues and referred to him as ‘basically an isolationist.’

‘He votes against anything having to do with foreign relations. I disagree with that,’ DeSantis said. ‘But you know, my 80% friend is not my 20% enemy, and we’ve got to stop thinking that way, as Republicans.’ 

When reached for comment, DeSantis campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin told Fox News Digital, ‘Nikki Haley is just trying to distract from her record of inviting Gaza refugees to the U.S. and supporting U.S. tax dollars going to the Gaza Strip.’

‘Ron DeSantis has been the clearest, most consistent pro-Israel candidate in this race. He has unequivocally supported Israel in exterminating Hamas, passed the strongest anti-Iran legislation of any state in a special session in November, and jumped into action to bring Americans home from Israel who were stranded by Joe Biden,’ he added.

In contrast to the DeSantis campaign’s debunked claim about Gaza refugees, Haley has said surrounding countries sympathetic to Hamas should be the ones to accept refugees from Gaza, not the U.S.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Massie’s office for comment.

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday the creation of a new international mission working to counter attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, ‘an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea.’

The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be addressed. The U.S. Central Command reported two more attacks on commercial vessels on Monday. A strike by an attack drone and a ballistic missile hit a tanker off Yemen at roughly the same time a cargo ship reported an explosive detonating in the water near them, the U.S. military said.

‘This is an international challenge that demands collective action,’ Austin said, issuing a statement early Tuesday while in Bahrain. ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian is bringing together multiple countries to include the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity.’

Austin added that the recent Houthi aggression ‘threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law.’

The U.S. is still actively seeking member countries to join the mission and increase the number of navies present and participating. 

‘The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade,’ Austin’s statement said. ‘Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor launching ballistic missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) at merchant vessels from many nations lawfully transiting international waters.’

While in the Middle East, Austin held a virtual conference on Red Sea maritime security, underscoring how attacks ‘already impacted the global economy and would continue to threaten commercial shipping if the international community did not come together to address the issue collectively.’

U.S. military officials briefed participants that the Houthis had conducted over 100 one-way, uncrewed aerial systems and ballistic missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different nations. They highlighted that the Houthis had taken merchant vessel Galaxy Leader and its 25-member international crew hostage on Nov. 19. The Pentagon said the crew remain ‘unjustly detained in Yemen.’ 

During the conference, participants discussed how the attacks are a flagrant violation of international law, and the Houthis must cease their aggressive actions, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryde said in a readout. Currently, 10-15% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, and international shipping companies are having to reroute through the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks to the delivery of key goods and materials, including oil and gas. 

There are about 400 commercial vessels transiting the southern Red Sea, an area roughly the size of Washington, D.C., to Boston at any given time, a senior military official told reporters who are traveling with Austin in the region. Under the new mission, the military ships will not necessarily escort a specific vessel but will be positioned to provide umbrella protection to as many as possible at a given time, the official told the AP on the condition of anonymity. 

Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, challenged the U.S.-created coalition on Tuesday, saying the Iranian-backed rebels would continue targeting Israel-linked vessels. 

‘The American-formed coalition is to protect Israel and militarize the sea without any justification, and will not stop Yemen from continuing its legitimate operations in support of Gaza,’ he wrote on X, adding that the Houthis’ attacks ‘are not a show of force nor a challenge to anyone.’

‘Whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of his actions,’ Abdel-Salam said. 

Two U.S. Navy destroyers — USS Carney and USS Mason — are currently moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to help deter and respond to attacks from the Houthis. The move to set up the expanded operation came after three commercial vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Dec. 3. 

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is separately imploring the United Nations Security Council to take action against the Houthi attacks. 

To date, the U.S. has not struck back at the Houthis operating in Yemen or targeted any of the militants’ weapons or other sites. On Monday, Austin did not answer a question as to why the Pentagon had not conducted a counterstrike.

One notably absent participant in Operation Prosperity Guardian is China, which has warships in the region, but those ships have not responded to previous calls for assistance by commercial vessels, even though some of the ships attacked have had ties to Hong Kong, the military official told the AP. Several other countries have also agreed to be involved in the operation but prefer not to be publicly named, a defense official said on the condition of anonymity told the AP. 

The new maritime security mission will be coordinated by the already existing Combined Task Force 153, which was set up in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden. While the task force has primarily provided a headquarters structure to date, the goal of the new mission is to provide ships and other assets to carry out the protection. There have been 39 member nations in CTF 153, but officials were working to determine which of them would participate. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.