NYN | News
Amid ongoing escalation in the Red Sea, the commander of European forces participating in Operation “Aspides,” Admiral Vasileios Gryparis, stated that his forces’ mission is entirely different from that of U.S. forces conducting daily airstrikes on areas under the control of the Sanaa-based government.
In an interview with The National, Gryparis emphasized that the European Union’s Operation Aspides does not target the Houthis (Ansar Allah), clarifying that the mission’s primary objective is to protect shipping lanes and ensure freedom of maritime navigation—not to engage in military confrontations with any party.
The admiral stated: “We are not fighting the Houthis. We are here to protect global common goods and the lives of seafarers. We have caused no casualties among the Houthis (Ansar Allah) since the beginning of our operations.”
The European Union launched Operation Aspides in February 2024 in response to Houthi (Ansar Allah) attacks on Israeli-linked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, which came as retaliation for Israeli actions in Gaza.
Gryparis’s statements come amid rising tensions between Sanaa forces and the United States, which continues to carry out airstrikes on provinces controlled by the Sanaa government. In contrast, European countries—except for the UK—are trying to maintain a less confrontational stance in the region to safeguard the passage of their commercial ships.
