EU: Fending off Houthi Attacks on Shipping Requires Double the Fleet

A European Union naval force created to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea needs to more than double in size because of escalating attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the head of the operation said.
Four EU vessels have been patrolling the waters off Yemen since February. In that time, they have provided “close assistance” to 164 ships, shot down more than a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles and destroyed four anti-ship ballistic missiles, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The Houthis began attacking vessels last year to put pressure Israel and its allies over the war in the Gaza Strip. The attacks have continued despite the presence of the EU ships and a US-led naval force, forcing many companies to send their ships on the much longer route around southern Africa instead of through the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
Air attacks by US and UK on sites associated with Houthi operations have not deterred them but instead led to ships with links to the two countries being fired on more often.
The Yemeni militia has said it would start attacking shipping in the Mediterranean as well, although there is little evidence they can hit vessels that far away.
A warning by the Houthis last month that they will fire on ships owned by any company whose ships dock in Israel has increased the risk for commercial shippers, Adm Gryparis said. He was in Brussels this week to lobby for additional resources.
The limited number of ships at its disposal has confined the EU’s Operation Aspides to a small part of the southern Red Sea near Bab Al Mandeb, a narrow strait between Yemen and Djibouti where ships are vulnerable to attacks.