The French Ministry of the armed forces, in a press release published on December 19, stated that its ships will remain under French command.
Operation "Guardian of prosperity", created under the leadership of the United States to fight the Houthis in the Red Sea, is gaining momentum. The US military command in the Middle East announced on the social network
In recent weeks, Yemeni rebels, close to Iran, have intensified their attacks near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, threatening to paralyze sea traffic in this strategic area . The Yemeni rebels say that by attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea, they want to show their support for Hamas in the ongoing war against the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.
Interception dans la soirée de deux drones en provenance du Yémen par la FREMM Languedoc en mer Rouge. pic.twitter.com/2cug1Sn48C
— Armée française - Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) December 9, 2023
The alliance, initiated by Washington, is aimed at" ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries, " as specified by the US Secretary of State for defense affairs, Lloyd Austin, in a press release published on December 18. In addition to the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and the Seychelles were to participate in this military force. Such frequent attacks against cargo ships in this region, which is considered a shipping crossroads, are of concern to the European powers. For Emmanuel Macron, "the Houthis' threat to freedom of navigation is intolerable, " he said on December 21, in front of soldiers deployed in Jordan . The head of state also praised the ”fundamental role” played by the National Navy in recent days to confront him.
U.S. assets, to include the USS LABOON (DDG 58) and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, shot down twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles, and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the… pic.twitter.com/vRQ5e6Au6d
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 26, 2023
Paris and Rome have already participated in other operations
But in the countries mentioned by Lloyd Austin in mid-December, several countries, such as France, Italy and Spain, announced that they were distancing themselves from the American initiative. The operation comes in the face of sporadic commitments by Europeans in the region, who are reluctant to join a Washington-led mission.
Thus, the French Ministry of the armed forces, in a press release published on December 19, indicated that its ships would remain under French command. Paris has a Languedoc frigate and permanent military resources in the region, but it is already involved in two missions (Agenor and Atalanti).
But Paris, which welcomes the US initiative " aimed at strengthening freedom of movement in the Red Sea," does not exclude the possibility of cooperation with Washington. And on December 20, Minister of the armed forces Sebastian licorno spoke on this topic with his American counterpart. "The United States and France are seeking (...) To increase cooperation on bilateral and multilateral solutions, " the Pentagon explained .
Italy also failed the Americans. As explained by the Sky TG24 TV channel, Rome is already confirming the dispatch of a military ship, the Virginio Vasan, to the Red Sea, but only "to respond to a request (...) From Italian shipowners, " explains the transalpine Minister. The defense in a memorandum published on December 19 . "This process is part of a process that already exists with the mandate of the Parliament, not part of the process of the guardian of prosperity, "adds Guido Crocetto.
Discontent in Spain
The Prosperity Guardian organization has also angered the Spanish government, which was not consulted in the process, according to the information website El Confidencial and the daily newspaper El País . Government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria warned at the end of a cabinet meeting on December 19 that "Spain will not participate unilaterally in this task. Any decision taken will be within the framework of NATO and the European Union," he said .
On December 27, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed his country's reservations about participating in the US operation. However, the head of government remains "ready and open" to the formation of a mission by the European Union, whose role will be to prevent attacks by Houthi rebels. Madrid opposes the accession of the European mission Atalanta, which is fighting pirates in the Indian Ocean, to the alliance.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Houthis welcomed the refusal of the Spanish government to participate on the side of the Americans. He wrote on the social networking site " X "that the latter" also hopes that everyone will continue to move away from the shameful positions of America and Great Britain that threaten peace and security " .
