Hundreds of German troops to join EU Red Sea mission, says chancellery

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) – Hundreds of German soldiers are set to join a European Union naval mission in the Red Sea aimed at protecting merchant ships from attacks by Yemen's Houthi militia, a chancellery spokesperson said on Friday.

Up to 700 troops could be sent for the EU-led Red Sea naval operation as part of a German parliamentary mandate that expires on Feb. 28, 2025, Wolfgang Buechner told journalists in Berlin.

The mandate for participating in the EU mission, which still has to be approved by parliament, will cover the area between the Strait of Bab al-Mandab in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, Buechner added.

He stressed that the Houthi militia’s attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November 2023 have “already significantly endangered maritime security and undermined stability in the already volatile region.”

Last week, Germany dispatched a powerful air defense frigate to support the EU naval mission in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies, as well as those transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

A coalition led by the US has conducted intermittent airstrikes since Jan. 12 that have targeted "Houthi locations" in parts of Yemen in response to the attacks in the Red Sea.​​​​​​​

As a result of these escalating tensions from the airstrikes, the Houthi group declared that it considered all American and British ships to be legitimate military targets.