Italy and UK to naval vessels to Red Sea after Huthi attacks

Italy and UK to naval vessels to Red Sea after Huthi attacks
by AFP Staff Writers
Rome (AFP) Dec 19, 2023

Italy is sending a frigate to the Red Sea as part of international efforts to help safeguard ships against Huthi missile and drone attacks, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

The Virgilio Fasan will head towards the region in the "next few hours", it said in a statement.

The United States on Monday announced a 10-nation coalition to quell the attacks, which have imperilled a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade.

"Italy will do its part, together with the international community, to counter the destabilising terrorist activity of the Huthis... and to protect trade and guarantee freedom of navigation and international law," Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

His comments, published in the same statement, followed a videocall with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier Tuesday.

A defence source did not rule out that Italy could send a second ship to the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Huthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels.

The Virgilio Fasan is set from February to be the lead ship in the European Union's Atalanta anti-piracy mission in East Africa.

UK warship joins Red Sea coalition: govt
London (AFP) Dec 19, 2023 - A British Royal Navy destroyer has joined a new international maritime protection force to protect shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the government in London said Monday.

HMS Diamond is part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian task force seeking to deter attacks from Iran-backed Yemeni rebels on commercial vessels in the busy Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The United States announced the 10-nation coalition on Monday, promising a multinational response to the Huthi drone and missile strikes disrupting shipping.

"These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices," said UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

"This is an international problem that requires an international solution. That is why HMS Diamond has joined Operation Prosperity Guardian.

"This new task force will protect shipping and vital trade routes in the Red Sea, where large amounts of goods and oil transit through to Europe and on to the UK."

Shapps sent HMS Diamond to the region last month to join the frigate HMS Lancaster, three mine hunters and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship as part of the UK's longstanding maritime presence in the Gulf.

It arrived in the Red Sea at the weekend and on Saturday shot down a suspected Huthi attack drone that was tracking commercial shipping, the Ministry of Defence said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman told reporters: "We are confident that a task force with the US UK navies in particular and with our French allies provides considerable capacity to deter future attacks and protect commercial shipping."