EU Naval Commander Calls for Doubling Forces Amid Rising Yemen’s Attacks

Gryparis told Bloomberg that the ships provided "close assistance" to 164 vessels, shot down more than 12 drones, and destroyed 4 anti-ship ballistic missiles.

He explained that the warning issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces last May, stating they would target ships owned by companies docking their vessels in "Israel," has increased the risks faced by commercial shipping companies.

"We don't have enough assets, and the entire area we need to cover is vast," he added, urging all member states to provide more assets.

According to Bloomberg, four EU ships have been patrolling the waters off the coast of Yemen since last February. It confirmed that Gryparis was in Brussels this week to push for additional resources.

Since the beginning of the battle of the Al-Aqsa Storm and the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni Armed Forces have imposed a ban on ships linked to the Zionist entity. Hundreds of operations have been carried out against those ships and American and British military pieces, including the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, which was directly hit by ballistic, naval, and drone missiles.

Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree confirmed at the beginning of May that they had entered the "fourth phase of escalation," which includes targeting all ships that violate the Israeli navigation ban and those heading to ports in occupied Palestine from the Mediterranean Sea, in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza."