Italy considers naval mission in the Red Sea to protect cargo ships

Strait off Yemen: Italy Threatens to Go It Alone in the Red Sea

The Houthi militia controls the Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea. Without waiting for the EU, Italy wants to protect its ships there using its own navy. The announcement is likely above all a signal directed at Brussels.

In view of the escalating situation in the Bab al-Mandab strait, Italy has announced that it will use its navy to ensure the passage of Italian ships. The country does not want to wait for a joint EU decision, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced.

"We have the capabilities to protect the passage," Crosetto said. If the sea route cannot be used, it will have significant economic consequences. "We cannot allow bureaucratic delays in decision-making to worsen an already complex situation," the defense minister added.

Signal to Brussels

Since 2024, the EU has been operating in the Red Sea with the "Eunavfor Aspides" mission — a defensive operation to secure freedom of navigation. A decision has now been made not to wait any longer for the coordination of this EU mission, Crosetto said. An Italian frigate is already on site, officially under an EU mandate. The government in Rome now wants to examine whether parliament would need to pass new rules of engagement for the navy.

The legal and political hurdles for going it alone are likely to be high — but the announcement is in any case a diplomatic affront directed at Brussels. Italy could thereby be attempting to push the EU to act more quickly. The country would indeed be severely affected economically if shipping companies were to avoid the Red Sea in the long term and sail around Africa instead.

Islands and Coastline Seized

The Houthi militia, allied with Iran and supported by Tehran militarily and financially, seized control of the entire western coast of Yemen in a lightning offensive last week and captured strategically important islands. This gives it virtually unrestricted access to the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Like the Strait of Hormuz, it is of great importance to global trade.

A Conflict That Has Lasted for Years

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships in the region for years. In November 2023, shortly after Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel and the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with alleged links to Israel. The United States and its allies responded from early 2024 onward with strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

The conflict has intensified following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran in February 2026.

In May, the Houthis and the United States signed a ceasefire brokered by Oman; however, the Houthis declared that they would continue to attack Israeli ships. The militia is part of the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance," directed against Israel and the United States, which also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Its stated goal is the destruction of Israel.

With information from Anna Giordano, ARD Studio Rome.