EU Reviews Red Sea Mission Mandate amid Potential Houthi Attack English: EU Reviews Red Sea Mission Mandate amid Potential Houthi Attack

JAKARTA - The European Union (EU) is likely to review its naval operation mandate in the Red Sea if the Houthi movement in Yemen again launches attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

"If the situation changes (if the attack happens again), the discussion on the mandate can always be carried out," the Euractiv news portal reported on Monday, March 30, quoting an unnamed diplomat.

However, it is still too early to talk about any specific changes, the diplomat continued, as reported by ANTARA from Sputnik.

Europe is facing increasing pressure to expand its Red Sea mission to the Persian Gulf amid political demands related to soaring oil and gas prices, according to a Euractiv report.

However, EU leaders are concerned that a military intervention could drag the bloc into a regional conflict.

On Saturday (28/3), the Houthi group launched rockets into Israel for the first time since the escalation in the Persian Gulf region. Houthi military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said the group would continue to target Israel until it stopped its operations in Iran and Lebanon.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched an attack on a number of targets in Iran, including in Tehran, which caused damage and civilian casualties. Iran then responded by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East.