Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have been assaulting merchant ships in the Red Sea, prompting Yemen’s foreign minister, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, to call on the European Union (EU) to step up its pressure on them.
To protect ships using the critical and vital commerce route, the 27-nation EU is preparing to conduct its naval mission in the Red Sea by mid-February. As far as Awad bin Mubarak is concerned, attacking the Houthis’ military or infrastructure won’t do enough. In addition, he demanded that the European Union provide more humanitarian help and strengthen Yemeni institutions like the Coast Guard.
Houthi terrorists have attacked many ships passing through Egypt’s Suez Canal multiple times since November, using missiles and drones. In response to the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, several assaults have been carried out. The EU and the US have failed to provide a definitive solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, which has only served to strengthen all the extremist groups in the region. Following the assaults, the United States and the United Kingdom launched airstrikes on Houthi sites in Yemen, which have been disrupting commerce.
Midway through February, the European Union plans to send naval forces to the Red Sea to protect ships. Humanitarian help should be routed through the central bank in Aden, and Awad bin Mubarak urged the European Union to increase its funding for establishing Yemeni institutions like the coastguard. He said that the Houthis will persist in their oppression of Yemen because they are an integral element of Iran’s regional strategy and adhere to the belief of a divine right to govern the country.
Mubarak claims that the Houthis have the belief that they are divinely entitled to govern Yemen collectively. They play a role in Iran’s regional policy, he said.
He claims that radical organizations in the area are being encouraged by the West’s failure to end the Gaza crisis.
