EU launches Red Sea mission, following suit of US-led coalition

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Feb 2024 02:29

An official says the European Union aims to have the mission up and running in a "few weeks" with at least four vessels.

The European flag, left, flies Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

The EU formally launched a naval mission on Monday under the pretext of protecting Red Sea shipping from the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces, following suit of a coalition spearheaded by the United States, which also included Britain.

The European Union aims to have the mission -- called Aspides, Greek for "shield" -- up and running in a "few weeks" with at least four vessels, an official said on Friday.

"Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

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

The operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) against Israeli and Israeli-bound ships -- carried out in support of the people of Gaza until the Israeli aggression on the Strip ceases -- have forced some companies to take alternative routes including a two-week detour around the tip of southern Africa.

The YAF have also reiterated that they only chose clear and specific targets to hit the Israeli enemy until the American and British forces became involved in the aggression against Yemen, which turned them into targets as well, reiterating that no other countries are being targeted by the YAF.

As the operations continued, Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi called for a ceasefire in Gaza to end the incidents in the Red Sea.

Al-Kaabi, who is also the chief executive of state-owned QatarEnergy, said the "root of the problem" in the Red Sea "is the Israeli invasion of Gaza."

"Hopefully there is a ceasefire soon that will stop that so that the economic impact on the entire world stops," he said.

Italian top diplomat Antonio Tajani confirmed the EU mission's launch during a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels, deeming it "an important step towards common European defence."

The overall commander of the EU mission will be Greek, while the lead officer in operational control at sea will be Italian.

So far France, Germany, Italy and Belgium have said they plan to contribute ships.

The EU claims the mission's mandate -- set initially for one year -- is limited to protecting civilian shipping in the Red Sea and that no attacks will be carried out "on Yemeni soil."

An EU official said there would be "continuous military to military contact" to coordinate actions with the United States and other forces in the region.