Enhancing the European Mission with Air Patrols in the Red Sea

The European Union bolstered its forces stationed in the Red Sea on Monday with air patrols. This comes amid escalating fears of the situation exploding regionally amid concerns about Yemen’s escalation.

Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The European mission in the Red Sea, known as “Aspides,” announced its use of air patrols for the first time since its establishment in February last year.

The mission stated in a release that a French aircraft of the “Atlantique 2” type officially joined the mission, specializing in maritime surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

Until recently, the mission relied on battleships for surveillance and security escort operations for ships in the Red Sea.

The decision to utilize aerial reconnaissance aircraft is unprecedented in the history of the European mission, especially as the United States had previously decided to replace its battleships with air patrols as Yemeni operations against it escalated strongly.

The motivations behind the European mission’s deployment of air patrols in the Red Sea remain unclear, as does whether this reflects concerns about an imminent escalation with the anticipation of an attack on Iran or if the European Union is opting to avoid risking moving its battleships in the coming period for fear of being targeted. However, the timing of deploying this type of aircraft indicates a Western anticipation of a larger escalation in the region where Yemen will be a prominent player, according to previous Western reports.