France, Italy and Germany are sending warships to the Red Sea to protect international merchant ships from attacks by Houthi rebels. The operation begins on February 19th.
Brussels/Vienna. Many international shipping companies still avoid crossing the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. At the beginning of the week, a Greek freighter flying the Maltese flag was attacked and hit by a missile. The incident caused only material damage and no one was injured. But the Houthi rebels' constant missile and drone attacks on commercial traffic have now prompted EU governments to take action after the US. From February 19, three European warships will monitor international shipping off the coast of Yemen, independently of the US mission that has already begun.
The German frigate Hessen will sail to the Red Sea on February 1, “Welt am Sonntag” reported. The combat ship is equipped with radar reconnaissance that can detect 1,000 targets simultaneously. It also has anti-aircraft missiles, attack helicopters and around 240 emergency teams. France and Italy also agreed to send combat ships. Initially, three EU ships will take over security. However, other posts are not deleted.