The European Union (EU) has agreed to contribute to the United States’ task force against Yemeni fighters that targeted the ships in the Red Sea bound to the occupied Palestinians territories.
The decision was adopted by the 27 EU nations during a meeting convened by Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs.
“We will intensify our information sharing and increase our presence with additional naval assets. This demonstrates the EU’s role as a maritime security provider,” Borrell stated on X.
Earlier this week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called for Western unity against attacks by the Yemeni armed forces on Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea.
The Pentagon announced Monday a military coalition of 10 countries, including the US, Britain, and Spain, to counter the Yemeni attacks.
Western countries have been split over joining the US-led task forces in the turbulent region.
Italy is sending a warship. And France, which has a destroyer in the area, said it was interested but had not yet decided on joining.
Spain was mentioned by the US as a member of its Red Sea coalition, but Madrid later clarified it was not taking part in a mission that did not have the backing of either NATO or the EU.
Germany’s military needs a mandate from the parliament to take part, as the coalition includes the potential use of force but does not fall under the auspices of the EU, NATO or the United Nations.
In recent weeks, a series of seaborne strikes attributed to the Yemeni forces were conducted in solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yemen has already warned it will prevent the passage of all ships in the Red Sea bound to the occupied territories.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial waterway between Yemen and northeast Africa leading to the Red Sea, up to the Suez Canal and the Israeli port of Eilat. An estimated $1 trillion in goods pass through the strait annually.
Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has dismissed US plans to establish the maritime task force.
The leader of Ansarullah has said the armed forces will not hesitate to target US military warships in the Red Sea if Washington and its allies carry out military strikes against Yemen.
Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made the remarks in a televised speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a on Wednesday.
Houthi also lashed out at Britain, holding it responsible for war crimes and unrelenting aggression by the Israeli regime against the Palestinians ever since the so-called Balfour Declaration, which led to the creation of Israel, was issued on November 2, 1917.
Houthi said Yemeni forces will start firing cruise missiles at US military vessels should the newly formed maritime task force in the Red Sea take a hostile action or strike Yemen.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has said Yemeni strikes against ships heading to the occupied Palestinian territories send a message to the West that they should stop the ongoing carnage or expect the crisis to expand across the region.
