Yemen Monitor/Aden/Exclusive:
Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday that closer international cooperation between naval missions in the Red Sea has led to a reduction in the number of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis over the past week.
Greece is home to the headquarters of the European Union’s naval operation in the Red Sea, known as “Aspides,” which means “shields” in Greek.
Stylianides, speaking on the sidelines of Posidonia Shipping Week in Athens, said: “For us, it is a relief that we have seen a significant decrease in the number and severity of attacks over the past week. This is the reality.”
He added: “This is further evidence that the international community is capable of stopping this decisively.”
It is not known what information the Greek shipping official based his claim on. The Houthis launched many more attacks during the week than in April.
Greece announced on Monday the withdrawal of its destroyer “Hydra” from the Red Sea, after a three-month deployment to participate in a European Union military operation.
In February, the European Union launched a military operation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden called “Aspides” to counter the growing security threats in the Red Sea, promote freedom of navigation, and support regional stability. This was in response to repeated Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, which disrupted trade and raised commodity prices.
Since November, the Houthis have targeted more than 100 commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and recently expanded their operations to the Indian Ocean. They said they were targeting ships linked to Israel, which is waging a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip. But the Yemeni government and experts say the Houthis’ goals are domestic to escape internal crises and improve their image in the region.
In response, US and Britain have been carrying out an airstrike campaign against Iran-backed Houthis since January 11 . As a result, the Houthis have announced the expansion of their operations to include US and British ships
