Egypt, France discuss maritime security amid Houthi attacks in Red Sea

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – Egypt and France on Thursday discussed the maritime stability in the region amid the ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Egyptian Navy Commander Ashraf Ibrahim Attoua and visiting French Navy Admiral Emmanuel Salars, commander of the Indian Ocean and Red Sea maritime area, discussed means of enhancing cooperation and maritime stability in the region.

Salars and the accompanying delegation arrived in Cairo on Thursday, the Egyptian Army said in a statement.

The statement noted that the meeting addressed several topics of mutual interest related to supporting efforts for maritime security.

Yemen’s Houthi group on Thursday said it will not stop its attacks in the Red Sea until Israel ends its war on Gaza, lifts the siege and allows the entry of humanitarian aid to all parts of the Palestinian enclave.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the embassies of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand called on the Houthis to stop their attacks, saying that they only lead to “destabilizing the region and harming the Yemeni people.”

Israel has imposed an air, land and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007. It started its war on Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas, killing more than 31,300 Palestinians and pushing the territory to the brink of famine.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul