Italy might send aircraft, ship to EU mission in Red Sea

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Italy might send aircraft and a ship to the EU’s Aspires mission in the Red Sea, the defense minister said Thursday, according to the state-run ANSA news agency.

“There will be at least one Italian ship for 12 months and we are also evaluating the sending of aerial assets with surveillance and data collection tasks,” Guido Crosetto said during a hearing of the Italian parliament’s defense commission, it said.

On Jan. 31, EU’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell announced a maritime mission, named Aspides, to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea against Houthi attacks, which will be launched by Feb. 19.

Asserting that the Aspides mission should be operational in the Red Sea and some sectors in the Persian Gulf, he said: “Hence, it can incorporate EU’s EMASoH Mission which is presently operating in the Strait of Hurmuz.”

EMASoH, or the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz, is a French-led maritime monitoring mission with the goal of protecting maritime flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We also hope for the participation of moderate, pro-Western Arab countries to the mission,” said Crosetto.

He emphasized that European assets, which are expected to be used for the mission, will include, for now, a minimum of three naval units, intelligence and logistical support, airborne early warning capability, cyber protection, satellite support and strategic communication in support of information warfare.

The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly those bound for Israel, since November. They said the attacks aim to put pressure on Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip. That has prompted the US and UK to launch retaliatory airstrikes against targets inside Yemen.

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