[ad_1]
Live updates: Follow the latest news israel-gaza
This week, the EU warned against a long and dangerous threat to the Red Sea after Houthi attacks caused the first fatality in a months-long campaign of harassment against ships sailing through one of the world’s busiest trade routes. It is necessary to prepare for a difficult mission.the expert said National.
““This is the most dangerous naval operation ever carried out by the EU,” said Alessandro Marrone, director of defense planning at the Italian think tank Istituto Affari Internazionali.
The deaths of three sailors, two Filipinos and a Vietnamese on the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence on Wednesday was “a tragedy that unfortunately could have happened,” Marrone said.
The EU’s Red Sea Defense Naval Mission, named Aspides, which means “shield” in ancient Greek, deployed nearly three weeks ago on a one-year renewable mission.
Currently, warships from France, Germany, Greece, Spain, and Italy are in the area. The Belgian frigate is reportedly scheduled to leave the port of Zeebrugge on Sunday and join up with the Aspides.
European warships have repeatedly destroyed Houthi drones, sometimes before they officially begin their missions.
However, the Red Sea region is becoming increasingly crowded, increasing the risk of potential comrades. On January 28, a German warship accidentally detonated an American drone.
The area is also home to a U.S.-led defense mission called Prosperity Guardian, which includes up to eight frigates and at least a dozen Indian warships deployed east of the Red Sea to fight piracy. ing.
Earlier this week, the Indian Navy assisted the stricken vessel and evacuated the 20 surviving crew members of the True Confidence. Four people suffered severe burns.
The incident follows the sinking of the cargo ship Rubimar on February 18, days after a Houthi missile attack off the coast of Yemen, signaling the increased dangers associated with sailing through the Red Sea.
The U.S. government said Tuesday’s damage to undersea communications cables was likely caused by an anchor that was dragged from the Rubimar. The damage affected 25% of data flows through the Red Sea.
Houthi attacks, which began shortly after the start of the Gaza conflict in October, have raised insurance costs and forced many ships to detour through South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
“The cost increases have so far been absorbed by the market, but could cause disruption,” said Chitrap Uday Basu, a former Indian naval officer and director of the New Delhi-based think tank Institute for Policy Research. Karl says.
“These non-state attacks pose extremely complex challenges for navies around the world and commercial shipping in general.”
The naval deployment is aimed at “maintaining a presence and sending a signal that the great powers will not allow this chaos to progress beyond a certain point.”
Marrone said the rapid international expansion after the Houthi attack may have helped limit the economic impact. But he also said that awareness of the new risks taken on by European navies is currently quite low in the continent’s capitals.
Marrone estimated the total number of European personnel stationed between the headquarters in Larissa, Greece, and the sea at about 1,000.
“Warships are well equipped, so the risk is relatively low. But the risk is not zero. It’s a conflict against a sub-state actor,” he added.
To avoid a repeat of the German-American incident of January 28, more needs to be done to strengthen cooperation between partners.
“Each mission has a different chain of command, so there is a high risk of crossfire,” Marrone said.
Indian Navy’s dramatic sea rescue of True Confidence crew
On Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met regularly with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdallah II to mark the launch of the Cyprus-led maritime aid operation to Gaza. He said he is in contact with.
Ms von der Leyen said: “The situation in the Red Sea is particularly worrying as maritime security is deteriorating day by day and repeated attacks by the Houthis have damaged critical infrastructure.” .
Naval forces deployed to the Red Sea need to be prepared for “long-term missions,” Marrone said.
“Even if the war in Gaza eases in intensity, tensions will still exist,” he said, referring to the relationship between the Houthis and Iran.
“This is more than short-term crisis management,” he said.
“European countries need to anticipate the rotation of warships and troops and secure stocks of naval ammunition such as missiles, torpedoes and artillery shells. This will require constant political and military effort.”
Representatives from the EU External Action Service did not respond to questions about Aspides’ longevity or the total number of its staff.
“Any decision will be taken unanimously by all member states,” he said.
“Member states are also equipping their missions based on decisions and capabilities that align with their missions and needs.”
Updated: March 9, 2024, 4:00 AM
[ad_2]
Source link
