YNNews | Special Follow-up:
A report published by the Vietnamese website “Shob Congo” states that the European Union is planning to deploy additional warships in the Red Sea.
According to the report, the European Union has a plan to deploy additional warships in the Red Sea as part of its operation named “Aspidus.”
The report states, “The scope of this campaign will be expanded, and the number of warships will be increased based on the actual situation and the level of risks arising from the military activities of the Houthi forces in Yemen.”
The report also highlights that “the European navy is one of the targets of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, where weapons such as anti-ship and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) missiles are deployed.”
The report discusses the effectiveness of the weapons used by the forces of the Sana’a government in their operations against military vessels, noting that they “not only cause material damage but also threaten the lives and safety of sailors and soldiers on board the ships.”
This comes after the withdrawal of several European frigates from the Red Sea in recent days, due to the failure of their defense systems to counter attacks by the Sana’a forces.
Germany announced on Saturday the withdrawal of the frigate “Hessen” from the Red Sea along with its 240-member crew. According to the German army, as reported by the German channel “DW,” the frigate, with a crew of 240 members, completed its mission at 5:50 am (03:50 GMT) and left the operational area in the Red Sea. It was further added that a replacement frigate would be sent “mid-summer.”
Observers speculate that the reason behind the withdrawal of the German frigate is due to the failure of its defense systems to counter attacks by the Sana’a forces, similar to what happened with other European frigates. Belgium announced on Monday the postponement of its deployment in the Red Sea after the defense systems of the frigate “Louise-Marie” failed to counter missiles and aircraft from the Sana’a forces.
According to American media, the Belgian Ministry of Defense stated last week, “Belgium has postponed the deployment of the frigate Louise-Marie in the Red Sea for an ‘indefinite period of time’ after the ship failed several technical tests during training.”
Previously, the French Navy announced that the frigate “Alsace” of the “Aquitan” class returned to the port of Toulon last week after a 71-day mission in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as part of the European Union Naval Force’s Operation “Aspidus.”
According to the French newspaper “Le Figaro,” the French Navy frigate “Alsace” returned from its operational mission in the Red Sea after experiencing, as described by its commander Jerome Henry, an unprecedented level of attacks by Houthi drones, ballistic missiles, and naval missiles.
Before that, Denmark dismissed its defense chief due to the failure of its naval defense systems to counter attacks from Sana’a.
On February 19, 2024, the European Union announced the launch of an operation named “Aspidus,” led by Italy, in the Red Sea. The United States also announced the launch of an operation named “Guardian of Prosperity” to confront the attacks carried out by the forces of the Sana’a government on Israeli ships and those associated with Israel in the Red Sea.
The forces of the Sana’a government had announced in October of last year the initiation of military operations against “Israel” and its ships or those heading to it through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. They stipulated what they referred to as the “cessation of Israeli aggression and the lifting of the blockade on Gaza” to halt their operations against “Israel.”
In addition, the forces of the Sana’a government included American and British commercial and military ships in their list of targets due to what they considered as the “American-British aggression against Yemen.”
America and Britain had announced the commencement of airstrikes on areas under the control of the Sana’a government in response to the military operations carried out by Sana’a against “Israel” and its affiliated ships.
