The European Union will deploy warships in the Red Sea to defend navigation and commercial traffic from the attacks that the Houthi rebels launch from Yemeni territory with the support of Iran.
The mission, which is called Aspides – in ancient Greek, shield – has been launched in just one month as a response to the deterioration of the security situation in the region since the beginning of the war between Hamas and Israel. For now, it will have four frigates sent by France, Germany, Italy and Greece, with two more frigates from Belgium and Denmark soon to be added, as agreed at last week’s force generation meeting.
Aspiades will have its headquarters in the Greek city of Larissa, under the command of Vice Admiral Vasileios Griparis, while Rome will take over the command of maritime operations. The European initiative began to be designed in mid-January, after the Spanish Government blocked in December the transformation of the Atalanta naval mission – which since 2008 has been fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia, currently under Spanish command – to operate in support of Operation Guardian of Prosperity, launched by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Unlike this mission, Aspides’ mandate stipulates that it is exclusively defensive in nature. The mission will consist of escorting merchant ships crossing the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea. If they are the object of drone or missile attacks, European warships will be able to respond, but they will not be able to attack the positions in the territory of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, as the United States mission does. However, the Spanish Government has reaffirmed its decision not to participate.
“The mission will contribute to the navigation book in the Red Sea and is a quick and robust response to the actions of the Houthis against commercial ships”, highlighted the high representative of the EU’s Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, at the end of the ministerial conclave . Aspiades is the seventh mission that the Twenty-seven have adopted under the mandate. Before, “it didn’t take that many, only one was approved”. The new naval mission, which is added to Operation Agenor, which France is leading in the Strait of Hormuz, and Operation Atalanta, will complete the growing network of maritime security operations under the European flag.
The Twenty-seven were able to overcome divisions over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and give the green light to the naval mission in the Red Sea, but they also converged on two more issues related to the situation in the Middle East, although they could not adopt them as the EU due to the opposition of Hungary. However, Borrell was able to announce yesterday a statement signed by 26 of the 27 EU countries in which they demand “an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire” in Gaza, the unconditional release of hostages and the supply of “help”.
It is the first time in months that the EU, although without achieving unanimity, is calling for a pause in the hostilities in Gaza. Borrell issued a statement to this effect in his personal capacity at the weekend after realizing that Budapest did not support him and would not change his position, diplomatic sources said. Yesterday, while the Israeli Government assessed the possible entry of military forces into the city of Rafah, the Twenty-seven stroked the consensus. “There can be at least one position that, without formally being the position of the EU, represents a majority position, and 26 out of 27 countries are,” concluded the head of community diplomacy.
“More than a million people moved to southern Gaza because the Israeli army told them to go there, now they will not evaporate,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock protested about the plans of the Hebrew State to enter the city of Rafah. “The most important thing would be for Hamas to hand over its weapons,” he added, and allow the refugees to return. “An attack on Rafah would be absolutely catastrophic, it would be unconscionable”, criticized the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ireland, Micheál Martin, who, together with Spain, has asked the Council to review whether Israel complies with the human rights chapters of the ‘association agreement it maintains with the EU.
