Italy to take on ‘tactical command’ in EU’s Red Sea mission

ROME

Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Friday that the EU requested that Italy take on the “tactical command" of the Aspides mission which the EU will establish to ensure the navigation safety of commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Crosetto highlighted that assigning the task to Italy is again the recognition of the professionalism of the Italian navy.

He noted that the importance and urgency of Aspides is to ensure the navigation safety of commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Crosetto said Feb. 1 that in the defense committee of the Italian parliament that at least one Italian ship would serve in the mission for 12 months, and lawmakers were considering sending an air element.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell announced Feb. 1 that the EU mission to combat attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen would commence by Feb. 19.

In solidarity with Gaza, which has been under a destructive Israeli onslaught with American support since Oct. 7, the Yemeni Houthi group has targeted shipping vessels in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel.

With tensions escalating due to the US and UK conducting joint airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, the Houthis declared that it consider all American and British ships military targets.

A coalition led by the US has conducted intermittent airstrikes since Jan. 12 that have targeted “Houthi locations" in parts of Yemen in response to attacks in the Red Sea.

The US response has been occasionally met with counter responses from the group.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul