In conjunction with the exposure of two new attacks on Monday to two American and British ships in the Red Sea region within less than 24 hours, the European Union officially decided to launch a mission to help protect international navigation in the strategic waterway. This European mission comes two months after Washington established a maritime alliance to protect navigation in the strategic region through which 12% of global trade passes.

Published on: 02/19/2024 – 22:25

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I agreed Europe Union On launching a mission to help repel attacks The Houthis And protecting international navigation in the Red Sea region.

This coincides with what was revealed by the British maritime security company Ambrey on Monday, which said that an American-owned cargo ship reported being subjected to two separate attacks within two hours east of Aden in southern Yemen, hours after the Houthis targeted a British ship in the Gulf of Aden before announcing their targeting of two ships. Two Americas.

In addition, during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani confirmed the launch of the European mission, describing it as “an important step towards a common European defense.”

For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on the “X” platform: “Europe will guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, by working with our international partners.”

I welcome today’s decision to launch the EU Naval Force Operation Aspides.

Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners.

Beyond crisis response, it’s a step towards a stronger European presence at sea to protect our…

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 19, 2024

It is noteworthy that the launch of the European mission comes two months after Washington established a maritime alliance to protect navigation in the strategic region through which 12% of global trade passes.

Since last November 19, the Iranian-backed Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea that they suspect are linked to Israel or heading to its ports. They say that this comes in support of the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing a war between Hamas and Israel since October 7. Last October.

In an attempt to deter them, American and British forces launched strikes on their positions since January 12. For its part, the US Army alone carries out strikes from time to time that it says target sites or missiles and drones prepared for launch, the latest of which was on Sunday.

In response to Western strikes, the Houthis began targeting American and British ships in the region, considering that the interests of the two countries had become “legitimate targets.”

“We made sure that the ship’s crew got out safely.”

The company “Embry” said on Monday that “an American-owned cargo tanker flying the Greek flag requested military assistance, noting that it had been subjected to a missile attack” east of Aden. Later, she indicated that the same ship reported two hours later that “a projectile had fallen into the water 10 to 15 meters from its right side.”

For its part, the British UK MTO agency announced that “the ship and crew are fine,” noting that it had been informed of the presence of “splinters and damage to the paint.”

Shortly after that, the Houthis announced in a statement that they had targeted “two American ships in the Gulf of Aden, the first – Sea Champion – and the other – Navis Fortuna – (…) with a number of appropriate naval missiles, and the hits were accurate and direct.”

The military spokesman for the Houthis, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, added, “The total number of operations carried out by the armed forces during the past twenty-four hours reached four.”

This morning, the Houthis announced in a statement that they had targeted “a British ship in the Gulf of Aden – the Rubymar – with a number of appropriate naval missiles.”

A new Houthi attack on a British ship in the Gulf of Aden

01:03

For its part, Embry had indicated that “a cargo ship flying the Belizean flag, registered in the United Kingdom and operated by a Lebanese entity was attacked” in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, noting that it had seen “reports indicating that the crew left the ship and was rescued by another commercial ship.”

The Houthis said, “During the operation, we made sure that the ship’s crew exited safely.”

While the Houthis confirmed that the ship was “severely injured” as a result of their operation, which led to it “completely stopping” and is now “at risk of sinking,” Ambrey pointed out that “in the days preceding the incident, between February 16 and 18, the ship was drifting.” “With a pattern consistent with an engine failure.” She said, “It is not clear at the time of writing this report why the ship stopped.”

In the same statement, the Yemenis announced that they shot down an American drone in Hodeidah, western Yemen, “while it was carrying out hostile missions against our country on behalf of the Zionist entity.” However, Washington has not confirmed the matter until now.

No attacks “on Yemeni territory” and the economic impact is global

Before the official launch of the European mission on Monday, a European Union official said on Friday that the bloc seeks to activate this mission, which was called “Aspides,” which means “shield” in Greek, and operate it within “a few weeks” with at least four ships.

So far, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium have announced their intention to participate with ships. The Union also clarified that the mission is limited to one year, renewable, and is limited to protecting civilian ships in the Red Sea, and that no attacks will be carried out “on Yemeni territory.”

Read also: What is the European “Aspidis” operation to combat Houthi attacks in the Red Sea?

The agreement to launch the mission in the Red Sea also came after weeks of consultations between the EU countries, in light of mounting fears that the Houthi attacks could harm their economies and raise inflation rates.

Moreover, European countries are unable to take a unified position on the war in Gaza. Countries such as Spain and Ireland have called on Israel for an immediate ceasefire, a demand that other countries that strongly support the Jewish state, such as Germany, have refused to support.

In this context, the Qatari Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi, considered on Monday that declaring a ceasefire in Gaza would lead to an end to the Houthi attacks.

The minister, who also holds the position of CEO of the giant governmental Qatar Energy Group, said that “the root of the problem” in the Red Sea region “is the Israeli invasion of Gaza,” adding, “We hope that a ceasefire will be announced soon to put an end to (the attacks) and the economic impact.” (which results from it) on the entire world.”

To avoid passing through the Red Sea, many companies, including Qatar Energy, decided to divert their shipments to the Cape of Good Hope, in the far south of Africa, which prolongs the journey between Asia and Europe by at least a week.

Al-Kaabi explained, “It may not be noticeable in the short term, but if it continues in the long term, it will actually hinder movement.”

For his part, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi confirmed on Monday that Suez Canal revenues had declined by between 40 and 50%, due to disruption of navigation traffic in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks.

The head of the Suez Canal Authority, Lieutenant General Osama Rabie, announced in a telephone interview at the beginning of this month with an Egyptian satellite channel that revenues from the international shipping lane had declined from $804 million recorded in January last year to $428 million during the same month this year, with a deficit of 46%, attributing this to the navigation crisis in the Red Sea.

He also pointed out that the number of ships that crossed the canal decreased to 1,362 ships in January, compared to 2,155 ships that crossed in the same month last year.

France 24/AFP

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2024-02-19 21:25:32