The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, announced on Monday that a joint European Union naval mission thwarted 11 attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group in the Red Sea.
Borrell told reporters in Brussels, “In less than two months since the operation began, the mission has escorted 68 ships and thwarted 11 attacks.”
The operation received approval from the foreign ministers of the EU member states on February 19.
The naval ships involved in the mission are providing armed escorts for commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea.
Operation Commander Admiral Vasilios Gribaris at the same press conference stated, “Our ships shot down 9 drones, one unmanned surface vessel, and 4 anti-ship ballistic missiles.”
Gribaris cautioned against drawing premature conclusions about the mission’s achievements.
However, he noted that “this is the way forward, and we have shown, at least with the assets we have, what we can do.”
He confirmed that the mission’s coverage area is larger than the entire European Union. “The operational area includes the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman, the Gulf, as well as the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean,” he added.
Borrell mentioned that due to the Houthi attacks, commercial ships between Europe and Asia had to take a longer route around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
“This means a journey 10 to 14 days longer, and the cost of container transport from China to Europe has doubled,” he also said.
“Before the crisis, 13% of global trade passed through the Red Sea… Today, only half of the seventy ships that passed daily still use the Suez Canal, so it was necessary to intervene.”
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea escalated significantly following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023. The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen launched missiles and armed drones at Israel, demanding an end to the invasion of the Gaza Strip. Following these initial attacks, the Houthis seized and launched aerial attacks against both merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea. This series of aggressive actions by the Houthis, which control a significant portion of Yemen including stretches along the Red Sea, marked the beginning of what has been referred to as the Red Sea crisis. These attacks have disrupted global trade, drawing military responses from the US and allied forces to protect the vital shipping lanes.
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, the Houthis have carried out 26 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, aligning with their Islamist allies in Hamas. The UN Security Council has strongly condemned these Houthi attacks, passing a resolution that criticized the rebels for undermining global trade and escalating the regional conflict. The resolution called for an immediate cessation of all attacks by the Houthis and emphasized the importance of navigational rights and freedoms according to international law. The attacks have led to a significant diversion of commercial shipping routes, with many vessels now taking a longer path around the Cape of Good Hope, significantly increasing transportation costs and threatening global supply chains.
