The European Union has agreed in principle to launch a military operation to secure commercial shipping in the Red Sea, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.
Diplomatic sources said the mission would begin next month with the aim of ending attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on maritime traffic. The Houthis claimed to have carried out an attack on the U.S. military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden.
The U.S. military also announced the deaths of two Navy SEALs who were missing in action during an operation off the coast of Somalia to seize weapons bound for the Houthis in Yemen. The search for the SEALs was unsuccessful.
The EU’s decision to launch a military operation in the Red Sea is a significant escalation of the bloc’s involvement in the Yemen conflict. The operation is likely to be welcomed by the United States and other Western countries, which have been critical of the Houthis’ attacks on maritime traffic.
