US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addresses US forces at the Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Dec. 19, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Phil Stewart

A total of more than 20 countries have agreed to participate in the new US-led coalition safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as more nations join the effort, the Pentagon said on Thursday.

Still, the new Pentagon total would suggest that at least eight of the countries who have signed up have also declined to be publicly named, in a sign of political sensitivities of the operation as regional tensions soar over the Israel-Hamas war.

“We’ve had over 20 nations now sign on to participate,” Major General Patrick Ryder said, noting declarations by Greece and Australia.

“We’ll allow other countries, defer to them to talk about their participation.”

The United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian two days ago, saying more than a dozen countries had agreed to participate in an effort that will involve joint patrols in Red Sea waters near Yemen.

Each country will contribute what they can, Ryder said, dubbing it a “coalition of the willing.”

“In some cases that will include vessels. In other cases, it could include staff or other types of support,” he told a news briefing.

The crisis in the Red Sea has grown out of the war between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist terror group Hamas.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists stormed across the Gaza border into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis and foreigners.

Israel responded with a military campaign of air strikes and ground operations in Gaza with the stated aim of wiping out Hamas.

Iranian proxies including the Houthis and Lebanese terror group Hezbollah have fired rockets at Israel since the conflict began. The Houthis, meanwhile, have stepped up their Red Sea attacks, threatening to target all ships heading to Israel and warning shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

The attacks have disrupted a key trade route that links Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal and caused container shipping costs to rise sharply as companies seek to ship their goods via alternative, often longer, routes.

The US Navy and British and French navies have responded by shooting down Houthi drones and missiles, defensive actions that some critics in Washington say don’t go far enough to discourage the Houthis from continuing their attacks.