The destroyer USS Laboon has entered the Red Sea joining USS Mason and USS Carney amid continuous attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on international shipping.

USS Laboon (DDG-58) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the task force headed by the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower that was dispatched to the Middle East as war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October.

USS Mason and Carney have been patrolling the Red Sea for more than a month and intercepting dozens of drones and missiles launched by Houthi forces from Yemen. The Houthis have been armed by the Iranian regime for nearly a decade and began targeting shipping after Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei called for blocking Israeli commerce.

Houthis first began targeting vessels that they claimed were headed to Israeli ports, but announced earlier this month that would attack all ships in the strategically vital waterway connecting Asia with Europe.

About 15 percent of world shipping traffic transits via the Red Sea and Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

The Houthi group said it launched a drone attack on two cargo vessels in the area on Monday, as BP and many other shippers announced in recent days that they would pause operations through the Red Sea. 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking on a visit to Israel, said Washington was building a coalition to address the Houthi threat and said defense ministers from the region and beyond would hold virtual talks on the issue on Tuesday.

Italy said it is considering joining the coalition and Norway said it was ready to provide naval officers, while other NATO states said they were ready to consider support.