An EU military officer says a frigate destroyed a drone launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A senior European Union military officer said a frigate part of an EU military mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping destroyed a drone launched from an area Thursday morning in Yemen that was controlled by Houthi rebels.

Austrian General Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU military committee, said it would be crucial for the bloc to “preserve resources” in the long term because the threat posed by Houthi attacks “will not go away ” because of its connection to the war between Israel and Hamas.

“The task given to the military is simply to protect merchant ships and show the public that the European Union is not prepared to accept that a terrorist organization will undermine freedom of movement at sea,” Brieger said.

Brieger said he is asking EU members to provide the necessary resources to the EU mission called Aspides – Greek for ‘shields’.

He said it is the first time the EU has launched a naval operation in a hostile environment twice the size of the 27-nation bloc, calling it a “litmus test” that the bloc will pass.

The commander of an EU naval mission in the Red Sea, Greek Admiral Vasilios Gryparis, wants to significantly increase its size to better defend against possible attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Nineteen of the 27 EU countries are involved in the mission, but only four frigates patrol an area twice the size of the bloc.

The EU mission was established in February to defend civilian ships and does not participate in military attacks. The southern part of the Red Sea is considered a risk zone.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen’s north and west, launched a campaign of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in November. They have also fired rockets into Israel, although these have largely fallen short or been intercepted.

The attacks have hit maritime trade to Egypt and Europe, with only about half the usual number of ships moving through the area. It amounts to two weeks of transit time for ships wanting to avoid the Suez Canal, higher transportation costs and shipping insurance.

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The rebels have described their campaign as an attempt to pressure Israel to end the attrition. However, the ships targeted by the Houthis have largely had little or no ties to Israel, the US or other countries involved in the war.

Their campaign continues despite more than two months of US-led retaliatory airstrikes.

The Associated Press