Australia to Command Red Sea Protection Task Force

A tug escorts the HMAS Adelaide, a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship, as it docks at Station Pier in Melbourne on March 19, 2024. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Australia will take charge of an international mission to protect shipping routes in the Red Sea for the first time.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have previously attacked shipping in the vital sea trade corridor to disrupt Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.