Tel Aviv, Israel - The US on Monday announced a new multinational security initiative to counter an increasing number of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels, amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the new initiative, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, will "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."

Countries including the UK, France, Italy, and Norway will join the mission, Austin said in a statement, calling the situation "an international challenge that demands collective action."

The alliance will also include Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Bahrain, and the Indian Ocean nation the Seychelles. Meanwhile, according to the US military, there have been renewed attacks by Houthi rebels on two ships in the southern Red Sea.

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The Cayman Islands-flagged tanker Swan Atlantic was attacked on Monday by a drone and a missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on X.

Around the same time, the freighter M/V Clara reported an explosion in the water in its vicinity. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly struck at Israel with drones and missiles and have attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea to prevent them from travelling towards Israel.

The rebels have declared ships of any nationality traveling to Israel to be a "legitimate target" of their forces until Gazans receives the food and medicine they need. They have also insisted their stance would not change in light of the new joint security force.

Major shipping companies have suspended shipments on the route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal due to security concerns.

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"The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law," said Austin, who traveled to Israel to promise more military aid for a war that has attracted global condemnation and inflamed tensions across the region.

"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," he added.