US and Israeli officials said on Thursday that the United States is expected to announce on Friday the start of a special multinational task force in the Red Sea to deter the Houthis from launching further attacks and confront them.

John Kirby, the White House National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said last week that the State Department and the Pentagon are working to persuade countries to contribute naval ships to the task force that will operate under the command of US Central Command.

US officials said that White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the Defense Cabinet on Thursday that the United States is committed to protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

According to Axios - the site close to Israel - Israeli officials said that the occupation government has agreed not to take action on its part at the present time against the Houthis until it is known what impact the multinational maritime task force will have once it begins operating in the Red Sea.

According to the website, the Biden administration recently sent messages to the Houthis through several channels warning them against stopping their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and against the Israeli occupation. The officials said that Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking, who visited the Gulf in recent days, asked his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar to convey warning messages to the Houthis.

In recent weeks, the Houthis escalated their attacks and began targeting commercial ships in the vicinity of the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea, which they said were owned by Israeli companies or were headed to Israel.