The European Union has launched a naval mission to protect Red Sea cargo ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
“Europe will work with our international partners to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday the decision to deploy naval operations Aspidus.
The naval mission will dispatch European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed the launch at a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, calling it “an important step towards common European defense.”
So far, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium have said they plan to contribute ships.
An EU official told the dpa news agency that Aspidus’s combat command center will be located in the Greek city of Larissa, and that they will only receive calls to the Houthi armed forces if they launch an attack first. An order to fire and would not be authorized to preemptively strike.
Israel’s War on Gaza
red sea attack
From November 19 to January 11, the Houthis attacked ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea, disrupting maritime trade in retaliation for Israel (Al Jazeera)
Since November, the Houthis have been attacking commercial and military shipping in the busy Red Sea, through which 12% of global trade passes, and the group initially said it was targeting ships linked to Israel in solidarity with Gaza. Palestinians, the Gaza Strip has been under Israeli attack since October.
The Houthis later said it was broadening its targeting to include ships linked to the United States and Britain, after Washington and London launched airstrikes on Houthi sites in response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group on shipping.
An EU official said on Friday that the country most affected by Houthi attacks was not Israel but Egypt, where a drop in traffic caused the Suez Canal Authority to lose 40% of its revenue.
“Because transport through the Red Sea has been rerouted, transport times between Asia and the EU have increased by 10 to 15 days, while the cost of these transports has increased by around 400%,” EU Economic Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni told reporters on Thursday. .”
Earlier on Monday, the Houthis claimed that the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, British-registered and Lebanese-operated freighter in the Red Sea, had been attacked and said the ship was in danger of sinking.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saraya said the crew remained safe despite the attack.
Sarea said, “The ship was severely hit, causing it to come to a complete stop. Due to the severe damage to the ship, it is currently in danger of sinking in the Gulf of Aden.”
He said the Houthis also shot down a U.S. drone in the port city of Hodeidah.
Separately, British maritime security company Ambrey said in a statement on Monday that a Greek-flagged American cargo ship was also attacked twice within two hours in southern Yemen.
Ambre said the ship reported a “missile attack” in the Gulf of Aden before another projectile hit the waters near the ship. The ship and its crew, including five Greek crew members, were safe and heading to their next destination. Port of call.
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2024-02-20 03:10:08
