09:57 Crosetto: Houthi attacks threaten our economic stability
The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea “also threaten our economic stability”. Thus the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, in a hearing at the Defense commissions of the Chamber and Senate, underlining the consequences of the hostile actions in that area: «a 38% drop in maritime traffic, the increase in navigation times by 10- 12 days, with costs quintupled and the risk of marginalization of Mediterranean ports.”
09.55 Aspides mission, Greece in command
The headquarters of the European Aspides mission in the Red Sea will probably be in Greece, in Larissa. Thus the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, in a hearing at the Defense commissions of the Chamber and Senate.
08:07 Houthis claim attack on cargo ship: “It’s American”
The spokesman for the Houthi army, Yahya Sarie, yesterday evening claimed responsibility for the attack against a merchant ship off the coast of Yemen, claiming that it was a US cargo ship. The international media reported it. «We carried out a military operation using several naval missiles against the American merchant ship ‘KOÌ which was on its way to Israel. The ship was hit,” Sarie said. “We continue to help the Palestinian people by preventing ships from reaching Israel until humanitarian aid enters the Gaza Strip,” he added.
07.36 US raid in Yemen: 10 drones and a control station destroyed
The US military conducted strikes in Yemen against 10 drones and a ground control station belonging to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. This was announced by the US Central Command for Military Operations (Centcom). The attacks, it is specified in a statement, targeted a “Houthi drone ground control station and 10 Houthi drones” which “represented an imminent threat to merchant ships and US Navy ships in the region”.
07:33 Red Sea, Greece in pole position for Aspides mission command
Greece is in ‘pole position’ to obtain operational command – i.e. the strategic level – of the European mission in the Red Sea (Aspides). The prospect, according to what several European and diplomatic sources interviewed by ANSA declared, developed within the framework of the informal defense council meeting in Brussels but for the official status we will have to wait for the meeting of the permanent representatives of the European Union on 7 February . The definitive launch of the mission is instead certified “at the latest” on the 19th
07:28 Red Sea, US ship shoots down Houthi missile and Iranian drones
The destroyer USS Carney “shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile” launched by the Houthi rebels from Yemen towards the Gulf of Aden and subsequently “three Iranian drones in its vicinity”. The American Centcom made this known in a note which did not specify whether the affected drones were armed or used only for surveillance.