Kallas Calls for More Contributions to the "Aspid" Mission in "Bab al-Mandab"

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The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaia Kalas, confirmed on Monday that the EU naval mission in the Bab al-Mandab Strait is facing a severe shortage and urgent need for warships, revealing that the current force does not even include the targeted number of 10 naval vessels capable of supporting and escorting commercial ships.

Kalas stated upon her arrival for a meeting of EU defense ministers: "The EU has the 'EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia' (in the Red Sea), but it urgently needs a number of warships exceeding what it currently operates," emphasizing that the Union is receiving "numerous requests for escorting and securing ships through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but achieving that requires the availability of warships."

Kalas added, "When the 'EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia' was launched (in 2024 to protect commercial ships from Houthi missile attacks), it was decided at that time that the force would include 10 warships... However, now the force does not even include this number."

Kalas's statements come at a time when concerns are increasing regarding the security of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, amid ongoing Houthi attacks and developments on the western coast of Yemen.

A Yemeni military source had previously stated that the Houthis had deployed mines in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, coinciding with the digging of trenches in the mountains overlooking the strategic strait, according to the German news agency.