麻豆社

European Union Foreign Ministers are gathering to launch Operation Aspides, a naval mission designed to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

A US-led force is already operating in the region and has made several interventions to protect shipping. The maritime region which carries around 40 per cent of the trade between Europe and Asia, has seen Houthi rebels in Yemen launch missiles against commercial vessels in an attempt to show support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Newsday heard more details from Selin Uysal - a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, in residence from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

"The mission will have to maintain a delicate balance between its de-escalatory aim - its defensive mandate - and potential use of force. For example in December a French frigate shot down several Houthi drones but still there is widespread European wariness about the cost-benefit ratio of controlled escalation in the region. Tellingly, the Netherlands was only European country that took part in US-led strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen."

(Pic: Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt is docked ahead of setting off for the Gulf of Aden; Credit: Reuters)

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