Italy, France, Greece offered to lead EU naval mission in Red Sea, says Italy’s defense chief

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) - Rome, Paris, and Athens have offered to lead a European Union-backed naval mission meant to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea, Italy’s defense minister said after meeting with his counterparts from the bloc.

“Italy, Greece and France have given their availability to lead the mission. Spain offered to host its headquarters. It’s not a competition, the important thing is that it will be a joint mission and that it will involve the highest possible number of European countries,” said Guido Crosetto.

Earlier in the day, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said on X that Greece’s offer was accepted, in apparent contradiction with Crosetto’s words.

Iranian-backed-Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly those bound for Israel, since November. They say their attacks aim to put pressure on Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, prompting the US and UK to launch retaliatory airstrikes on targets inside Yemen.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

Crosetto said Italy has also offered to contribute with one ship for the whole duration of the mission.

“We must adopt tools that allow us to face deadly crises, such as wars, in a quick way. If we don’t combine democracy with speed and pragmatism, we risk that non-democratic actors will beat us in the medium and long term,” Crosetto said.

He added that he was pleased to see that this time the EU acted quickly on the matter.

He also said that Houthis’ attacks represent “an act of war, not only physical but also hybrid, with their strategy of cutting communication among certain countries, affecting their economies while helping others, such as Russia and China whose ships aren’t attacked.”​​​​​​​