Greece assumes leadership of EU mission in Red Sea

Greece will command the new naval mission of the European Union in the Red Sea.

The Greek commander will take charge of Operation Aspides ("Shields"), which aims to protect European ships in the Red Sea, El País reports, citing EU sources.

The mission's operational headquarters will be on board the Italian ship. According to the newspaper, the foreign ministers of the EU member states will approve on 19 February the launch of the one-year operation, which will involve four frigates.

The paper's interlocutors say the EU ships will only respond to attacks from the sea and will not fire shots towards the mainland. The EU mission will be separate from the US-led Prosperity Guardian operation, but there will be cooperation and data sharing between the two.