EU wants to send warships to Red Sea to tackle Houthi attacks

The European Union wants to send at least three warships to safeguard vessels in the Red Sea facing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

According to a document from the European External Action Service seen by POLITICO, the EU’s diplomatic arm, the bloc should create “a new EU operation” that would “act in a broader area of operation, from the Red Sea to the Gulf.” The operation could be launched as soon as the end of February.

Iran-backed Houthis rebels say they have targeted ships in the Red Sea — one of the world’s busiest waterways — as a show of support for Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. The Houthi rebels have attacked ships, forcing them to take long detours around the Horn of Africa.

The EU is following the lead of the U.S. and allies when it comes to protecting ships in the Red Sea.

In December, the U.S. launched Operation Prosperity Guardian. This operation is composed of an ad hoc coalition of partners (20 reportedly so far, with only 13 willing to disclose their participation).

The EU initially explored the possibility of using its anti-pirate mission, Atalanta, which operates in the Indian Ocean, but Spain opposed the idea while saying that it was open to a new mission.

The proposal says “the exact size and composition of the operation would be subject to further operational planning” but includes “at least three anti-air destroyers or frigates with multi-mission capabilities for at least one year.”

The new mission would build on Agenor, a French-led joint surveillance operation covering the entire Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and part of the Arabian Sea and which is composed of nine European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal), the document says.