Greece Agrees to Join EU's Red Sea Mission

Facts

• Greece's National Security Governmental Council on Monday approved the country's participation in the EU naval mission — dubbed Aspides — in the Red Sea to counter Houthi attacks on shipping.¹
• Soon after, the Greek Navy frigate Hydra departed southward to join warships from France, Germany, and Italy in the maritime security operation launched last week.²
• According to its mandate, Aspides will protect merchant ships and intercept attacks from Yemen's Houthis. However, participating countries will not join strikes against the Iran-aligned group on land.³
• This formal approval comes as the port of Piraeus, near Athens, reported that activity in its container terminal in January fell more than 12% year on year due to attacks on commercial ships with drones and missiles.⁴
• Houthis have been targeting Israeli vessels as well as ships headed to Israeli ports since last November, allegedly in retaliation against Tel Aviv's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels have also attacked the US and UK ships, reportedly to avenge their military campaign against Yemen.⁵
• Meanwhile, the Israeli news outlet Globes has claimed that Houthi attacks have likely knocked out four underwater communications cables between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti in recent months.⁶

Sources: ¹eKathimerini, ²Associated Press, ³Reuters, ⁴FOX News, ⁵PressTV and ⁶The Jerusalem Post.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Washington Institute. With a consensual defensive mandate to bolster deterrence and protect commercial ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Aspides is the latest in many EU actions aimed at protecting freedom of navigation worldwide. Athens' move to approve its participation in this mission further demonstrates Europe's willingness to help de-escalate regional tensions.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by DW. A whole new response to the crisis in the Red Sea is hardly the definitive answer to defusing tensions, especially as the West seems still to be ignoring that the Israeli offensive on Gaza is the root of all this instability. If the EU hadn't undermined its credibility among those supporting Palestine in the first place, the bloc could now seek a diplomatic solution instead of risking further escalating the conflict with this military mission.

Predictions