A Sri Lankan navy spokesman says the debt-ridden country’s navy is preparing to join a U.S.-led operation to protect merchant vessels in the Red Sea against attacks by Houthi rebels. Capt. Gayan Wickramasuriya said Tuesday that no date has been set for sending the ships. The attacks by Houthi rebels have targeted commercial shipping vessels transiting through the critical Bab el-Mandeb Strait that links markets in Asia and Europe since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and Israel’s subsequent war against the militant group in Gaza. The U.S. and its allies launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect ship traffic. Warships from the U.S., France, and the United Kingdom are patrolling the area.