German FM claims EU Red Sea mission won't initiate attacks on Yemen
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The German Foreign Minister says the EU's mission in the Red Sea will be of "defensive" nature.
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Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock waits for the start of a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
The European Union's security mission in the Red Sea, under the pretext of protecting international shipping amid the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces in support of Gaza, will be "defensive" and will not involve attacks on Yemeni territory, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday.
"Germany takes responsibility: we plan to participate in the EU mission to protect ships in the Red Sea. This defensive mission won't initiate attacks on Yemen but aims to support the individual & collective right to self-defense," the German Defense Ministry quoted Baerbock as saying during an unexpected stopover in Jeddah on her trip to Djibouti.
On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that EU foreign ministers had "agreed in principle" to launch a maritime security mission in the Red Sea, but the bloc had yet to agree on when and how it would be launched.
It is noteworthy that the Yemeni Armed Forces have reiterated that their operations in the Red and the Arabian seas are only directed at Israeli and Israeli-bound ships amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Recently, the Yemeni Supreme Political Council of the Sanaa government announced that "all American and British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni Armed Forces in response to their direct and announced aggression against the Yemeni Republic."
Read more: Portugal to join EU Red Sea 'mission', but not with frigate or ship
