The German government has approved the deployment of armed forces to a European Union (EU) naval mission in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships from attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, a government spokesman said on Friday.
Many commercial shippers diverted ships after the attack by the Houthis, who control much of Yemen and say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel and Hamas wage war in Gaza.
”The continuous escalation of violence and the threat to life and limb of ship crews, especially in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait, require a heavily equipped military operation,” said a government spokesman during a regular press conference in Berlin.
Germany’s participation still depends on parliamentary approval. A vote on the matter is scheduled for next Friday and is expected to pass.
Parliamentarians will receive a proposal for a mandate that runs until the end of February 2025 with an upper limit of 700 deployed troops, the spokesman said.
E.Dz.
