EU’s Red Sea naval mission not affected by Iran attack on Israel, commander says

The operations of the European Union's naval mission to the Red Sea have not been affected by Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israel but the force needs more combat ships to protect merchant vessels sailing through "a vast area," its commander told Reuters on Tuesday.

The EU's Red Sea naval mission, dubbed Eunavfor "Aspides," was launched in February to protect vessels from attacks launched by Iranian-aligned Houthi militants as part of their stated campaign of solidarity with Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

"So far, there is no evidence that… the situation has worsened," the commander of the operation Rear Admiral Vasileios Gryparis told Reuters at the headquarters of the mission in the Greek city of Larissa.

The mission has so far destroyed 10 drones and intercepted four ballistic missiles launched by Houthis in the Red Sea since the middle of...