French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that attacks carried out by the Houthi group from Yemen in the Red Sea are an “unacceptable threat.”

Macron told French soldiers deployed in Jordan that in this region, which is essential for global maritime transport, “the threat posed by the Houthis to freedom of navigation is unacceptable.”

The French President praised the “pivotal role” played by the French Navy in recent days to confront the Houthi threat in the Red Sea.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the launch of a multinational operation that includes 10 countries to protect trade in the Red Sea in the wake of Houthi missile and drone attacks.

The Houthis launch almost daily attacks in the Red Sea, which they said are directed against ships owned by Israel, or transporting goods to the occupation ports. The severity of the attacks, many of which damaged ships, prompted many shipping companies to order their ships to remain in place and not enter the Bab al-Mandeb Strait until the security situation was addressed.