Italy to send warships to protect shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb strait

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has declared that Italy will deploy warships to ensure the safe passage of its merchant vessels through the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The minister added that Rome will not wait for a joint decision from the European Union.

“We have the capabilities to protect the passage,” Crosetto said, warning that if the waterway becomes impassable, the economic consequences will be severe.

Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, forming one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world between Europe and Asia and a critical route for oil, gas and container traffic to and from the Suez Canal.

The strait’s importance has been dramatically affected in recent weeks, when the Iran-backed Houthi movement launched a rapid offensive that brought under its control the entire western coast of Yemen’s Red Sea, including several strategically positioned islands.