New naval coalition a 'highway patrol' to thwart Houthi 'bandits' in Red Sea, Pentagon says

The Defense Department described Yemen's Houthi rebels as "bandits" preying on merchant ships passing through the "international highway" that is the Red Sea. That makes the new U.S.-organized Operation Prosperity Guardian multinational task force a maritime highway patrol charged with keeping the peace in the region, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.