NYN | News
A Greek newspaper revealed on Monday that a Greek frigate has left the Red Sea after three months of participation in the “Aspides” operation, which the European Union announced to counter attacks by the Sanaa government forces on Israeli shipping and related activities.
The Greek newspaper “Kathimerini” reported that: “The Greek frigate ‘Hydra’ is expected to pass through the Suez Canal on Monday, protecting commercial ships from Houthi attacks in Yemen.”
The newspaper quoted military sources as saying that the frigate “Psara” will replace the withdrawn frigate, as it is “equipped with a new anti-drone system stronger than that on Hydra.”
The newspaper’s sources did not provide any details about the reason for withdrawing the frigate, but observers speculated that the reason might be the “failure of its defense systems to counter the weapons of the Sanaa government forces, which necessitated replacing it with another frigate with more advanced defense systems.”
It is noteworthy that several European countries participating in the “Aspides” operation have recently withdrawn their frigates from the Red Sea. Western reports mentioned the failure of their defense systems to detect and repel missiles and drones of the Sanaa government forces.
Since late last year, the Sanaa government forces have begun targeting Israeli ships and related vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas before announcing the extension of their operations to part of the Indian Ocean. Recently, they announced the beginning of the fourth phase of escalation against ships “even in the Mediterranean Sea” to support Palestinians in Gaza. They state that their operations against “Israel” will continue until the latter stops the genocide in Gaza and lifts the blockade.
In response, the United States and Britain launched airstrikes on Yemen. In turn, the Sanaa government forces announced that their operations would include targeting American and British commercial and military ships in response to what they called the “American-British aggression.”
On February 19, 2024, the European Union announced the launch of a military operation named “Aspides,” led by Italy in the Red Sea, while the United States announced an operation named “Guardian of Prosperity,” both aiming to counter the attacks launched by the Sanaa government forces against “Israel.”
