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EU Mission in Red Sea Will Be Led by Italy, France, Greece - Hungarian Foreign Minister

© Photo : HouthisScreenshot of Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement video showing takeover of Israeli-owned commercial vessel in the Red Sea
Screenshot of Ansar Allah (Houthi) Movement video showing takeover of Israeli-owned commercial vessel in the Red Sea - Sputnik International, 1920, 20.02.2024
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BUDAPEST (Sputnik) - The EU naval mission to protect navigation in the Red Sea from Yemen's Houthi movement will be led by Italy, France and Greece, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the European Union approved the launch of the Aspides military operation, with Italy set to take over the command of the forces.
"Today it was decided that we are launching an EU maritime mission … This will be a mission led by Greece, Italy and France, called Aspides; its budget for the first year is limited to 8 million euros [$8.6 million]," Szijjarto told Hungarian reporters after the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
Hungary supports the launch of the operation and expects that the United States and the United Kingdom will closely cooperate with the EU countries during the mission, the minister added.
Szijjarto also proposed that part of the funds from the European Peace Facility be used to strengthen the protection of Yemen's coastline.
Houthis do their traditional war dance aboard the Galaxy Leader after seizing the Israeli-owned ro-ro car transporter. Screengrab of social media video. - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.02.2024
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Houthis Reportedly 'Ready for New Escalation' If Israel Continues Operation in Gaza
The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip.
This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.
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