Houthis: “Italy puts its military and commercial ships at risk.” Defense's response: hybrid war to undermine European cohesion

Italy “jeopardizes the safety of its military and commercial ships” by assuming tactical command of the EU Aspides mission in the Red Sea. This was stated by the deputy head of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) Media Authority and president of the board of directors of the Saba news agency, Nasr al-Din Amer, underlining «that we will strike ships that attack our country or that hinder the decision to prevent Israeli ships from crossing the Red Sea. This must be clear.” According to Amer, one of the 'media faces' of the Houthis – a Zaydi Shiite group that controls large areas of Yemen including the capital Sana'a – is “dangerous” for Italy and “leads it to direct conflict with our country” decision to lead the mission that intends to “intercept Yemeni missiles” targeting Israeli ships or those headed for the Jewish state. And he adds: «We absolutely do not recommend Italy to engage in this mission because it is based on false and incorrect information according to which there is a danger to navigation», insists the Houthi representative, according to whom «there is no threat to navigation in general, but only for Israeli, American and British ships transiting through the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden due to their aggression against Yemen.” The president of the Saba board of directors highlights that, since the United States launched its 'Prosperity Guardian' mission in the Red Sea with the “pretext” of protecting navigation “the number of ships crossing the Red Sea has decreased” and ” the USA has not been able to guarantee any protection to the Israeli ships, indeed, together with Great Britain, they have jeopardized the safety of their ships. We do not advise Italy to do the same.”

The Italian Ministry of Defense replies dryly in a note: «The threats from the Houthis towards us are part of their hybrid war. Attacking commercial ships of nations unrelated to what is happening in Gaza, disseminating false information, allowing ships of the Russian Federation and China to pass freely in the Red Sea but not the others, threatening Italy for assuming tactical command of the Operation 'Aspides', which has as its sole purpose the defense of our ships and free navigation, are attempts to undermine our cohesion and that of the European Union.”

The reply from Deputy Prime Minister Antio Tajani was also immediate: «We will protect our ships, we will not be intimidated and we hope that we can soon reach a positive solution in that area, peace, even if it is not easy, and therefore also defuse this which is happening in Yemen with the Houthi rebels, who attack merchant ships passing through the Red Sea.”