(Bloomberg) -- New Zealand will send six members of the Defence Force to the Middle East to help uphold maritime security in the Red Sea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.

“This deployment, as part of an international coalition, is a continuation of New Zealand’s long history of defending freedom of navigation both in the Middle East and closer to home,” Luxon said Tuesday in Wellington.

An international coalition led by the US and UK has been carrying out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen after the group began attacking ships in the Red Sea to protest Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The attacks have disrupted traffic through a waterway that previously accounted for 12% of global trade. 

Read more: US, UK Airstrikes Hit More Houthi Targets in New Escalation 

“Houthi attacks against commercial and naval shipping are illegal, unacceptable and profoundly destabilizing,” Luxon said.

The New Zealand team will contribute to the collective self-defense of ships in the Middle East, in accordance with international law, from operational headquarters in the region and elsewhere, he said. No New Zealand personnel will enter Yemen. 

The deployment will conclude no later than July 31. 

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