Italy’s former military commander said the inability of the US and EU to carry out a joint naval mission in the Red Sea was a sign of weakness at a dangerous time.
“France and Italy will not participate in the US-led coalition in the Red Sea. There will be no operational impact, as navies are trained to coordinate actions outside of a clear chain of command, but there will be no political impact. “This is evidence of our weakness as NATO and as EU partners,” Luigi Binelli-Mantelli said.
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Admiral Luigi Binelli-Mantelli (left) led the Italian military until 2015 (Photo: nato.int)
The retired general who led the Italian army from 2013 to 2015 said, “NATO should reconsider and expand its role in global stability and security, and the EU should wake up from its “ecumenic” dream and strengthen its own solid foundation. We should think about sex,” he added.
“We have to deal with it [the new Red Sea challenge]Because this is a direct challenge, not just to Israel, but to all Western nations, and a test of our resolve and unity in defending our economy and our common values and way of life.” He referred to freedom of navigation on the high seas. .
On December 18, the United States announced Operation Prosperity Guardian in response to attacks on commercial ships by the Houthi rebel group, which de facto rules Yemen.
Twenty countries were scheduled to participate, including the UK and the EU’s naval powers Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
The EU Foreign Office also proposed on December 21 the use of the European anti-piracy mission Atalanta off the coast of Somalia to support the fight against the Houthis.
But two weeks later, France, Italy and Spain refused to join the US-led force, even though France and Italy each sent frigates to the region under their own commands.
Germany has not sent any warships, despite domestic debate over which ships to use.
And on December 27, Spain undermined the Atalanta initiative, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez saying the former EU mission “doesn’t have the features and qualities needed for the Red Sea.”
“I don’t know the next step yet. [on the Atalanta proposal]’, an EU official told EUobserver.
Meanwhile, Houthi drone attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping companies to stop using the Suez Canal and detour around the Horn of Africa, raising costs.
Some major airlines, including Taiwan’s Evergreen and Hong Kong’s OOCL, have also stopped accepting cargo to and from Israel to appease the Houthis, who have launched attacks to protest Israel’s massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. .
“This challenge is very different from the Somali piracy of the past, because the Houthis are in some ways seen as a state-organized force. They have more sophisticated systems and weapons, and they have Iranian support. “We are receiving it,” Binelli Mantelli said.
Part of the problem is financial. That’s because Houthi drones cost a fraction of the surface-to-air (SAM) missiles Western navies use to shoot them down.
But Vinelli Mantelli, who saw the Italian frigate Virginio Fasan sent to the area, said there was a cheaper way to fight back.
“This ship is similar to the French ship that sprayed Houthi drones with SAMs, but it is also testing rapid-fire cannons, also equipped with 3-inch Davide guided missiles, to increase cost efficiency,” he said. Said.
Davide is a naval gun system developed by Italian weapons manufacturer Finmeccanica that can track and shoot down drones and faster-moving anti-ship missiles up to 5 km away from ships.
“The most effective composition of a combined naval task force must be an agile, versatile frigate to deal with aerial drones and small vessels that threaten commercial shipping,” Binelli-Mantelli said.
“Furthermore, it should include a small aircraft carrier/LHA with air, amphibious and special forces capabilities, if possible to attack Houthi bases or simply to exercise deterrence,” he added. Ta.
LHA stands for Landing Helicopter Assault.
yemen warning
But the Italian admiral warned against large-scale ground operations against Houthi strongholds.
“For me, ground operations are not advisable at this time because putting boots on land is unpredictable and could escalate the crisis over a long period of time,” he said.
“Terrorism and integrationism can occur anywhere, and it is very unlikely that we can eradicate them completely. Like viruses, we must learn to live with them,” he added.
Binelli Mantelli’s warning against ground operations in Yemen comes amid US and EU efforts to prevent the war in Gaza from spilling over into a regional conflict.
“I am here amidst concerns about the escalation of gunfire across the Blue Line on the Lebanese-Israeli border,” EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said in Beirut on Saturday, January 6.
“It is essential to avoid regional escalation in the Middle East,” he added, as Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah threatens to escalate conflict with Israel in solidarity with Gaza.
EU countries are reluctant to participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian because they fear that joining the US, which is providing weapons and funding for Israel’s attack on Gaza, will be seen as complicit in the war. There is a concern.
EU sector
It also comes amid divisions within the EU over relations with Israel, given that it has killed thousands of Palestinian civilians.
“At the United Nations General Assembly, 14 European Union member states voted in favor. [a] ceasefire, two opposed, the rest abstained. It’s clear there is a difference,” Borrell said, referring to the December UN vote.
Hamas, the Palestinian organization that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 more in a dawn raid on October 7.
Israel has killed 22,700 Palestinians and destroyed much civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip over the past three months, prompting mounting charges of war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
“I am shocked by the suffering of so many innocent civilians. People are not only being bombed, they are still starving,” Borrell said.
“There are laws in war too… one fear does not justify another,” he added.
“There has to be another way to eradicate Hamas, another way where so many innocent people are not killed,” he said.