Increased alert level for ships of the EU naval mission in the Red Sea

Kaya Kallas announced that due to the aggravation of the situation in the Red Sea, the alert level for ships of the European naval mission Operation Aspides has been increased. The head of European diplomacy wrote in his account in the social network X.

An increase in the level of alarm means the transfer of the military forces of the mission to the maximum combat readiness mode with the strengthening of watches, visual and radar monitoring of the sea surface, switching to the automatic control of the sky of air defense systems, etc.

Ms Kallas also condemned the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, calling them "unacceptable and a diversion to the global economy." She said she held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. They discussed the cessation of hostilities in Yemen and ensuring free and unimpeded navigation not only in the Red Sea but also in the Strait of Hormuz.

Operation Aspides is an EU special naval mission established to protect civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. The task of the ships participating in the mission includes escorting commercial ships, destroying enemy missiles and drones, tracking other threats.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have dramatically stepped up hostilities in the region. Now they control the entire Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, as well as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the islands in it.

Alena Miklashevskaya