Fending Off Houthis Requires Double the Fleet, EU Force Says

 

Operation Aspides has three frigates countering Houthi attacks

Iran-backed rebels have threated to escalate attacks on ships

A naval force deployed by the European Union to protect vessels in the Red Sea needs to more than double in size because of escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the head of the operation said.

Four EU vessels have been patrolling the waters off the coast of Yemen since February. 

In that time, they’ve provided “close assistance” to 164 ships, shot down more than a dozen unmanned aerial vehicles and destroyed four anti-ship ballistics missiles, Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis said in an interview on Wednesday.

Last week, the militants struck the coal-carrying Tutor with a seaborne drone, killing a Filipino crew member. The ship sank on Thursday.

Bloomberg 21 June 2024

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-21/fending-off-houthis-requires-double-the-fleet-eu-force-says

Overseas Bases in focus: Cyprus

Blog Strategic Command

Organisations: Ministry of Defence

https://stratcommand.blog.gov.uk/2021/02/09/overseas-bases-in-focus-cyprus/#:~:text=Britain%20maintains%20a%20number%20of%20Sovereign%20Base%20Areas,island%20of%20Cyprus%20since%20its%20independence%20in%201960