Italy to deploy warships in Red Sea to protect shipping as Houthis tighten grip on Bab el-Mandeb- Moneycontrol.com

Italy will deploy warships to the Red Sea to protect its merchant vessels transiting the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait as the Iran‑aligned Houthi movement tightens control over Yemen’s western Red Sea coastline, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto announced. The move aims to secure a vital maritime chokepoint that links the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Suez Canal and European markets, and to preserve a key alternative route for Gulf energy exports.

“We have the capabilities to protect the passage,” Crosetto said, adding that Italy could not allow bureaucratic delays to worsen an already volatile situation. He warned that allowing the strategic waterway to become impassable could have serious consequences for the global economy.

The decision follows a rapid Houthi offensive that has extended the group’s control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and resulted in the capture of strategically positioned islands, including Mayun in the Bab el‑Mandeb. The strait itself narrows to roughly 30 kilometres at its tightest point between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, making control of adjacent coastline and islands especially consequential for anyone seeking to influence or disrupt maritime traffic.

Why Bab el‑Mandeb matters

• Bab el‑Mandeb is one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints, carrying energy shipments, container vessels and other commercial traffic between Asia and Europe.
• For Saudi Arabia, the corridor has become an essential alternative export route after recent disruption around the Strait of Hormuz: pipelines carry crude to Red Sea ports before tankers transit Bab el‑Mandeb to international buyers.
• Greater Houthi control threatens to further constrain Riyadh’s options for moving crude at a time when traditional routes remain at risk.

The African Union Commission has publicly expressed “particular concern over reports of attempted attacks targeting Makkah and other holy cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and emphasised that the security of the Red Sea and the Bab al‑Mandeb strait is “a major strategic interest for Africa, particularly for the States of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea littoral States.” Regional and global bodies, as well as individual states, have condemned attacks on Red Sea shipping routes amid rising alarm about the Houthis’ ability to project power over the waterway.

Western navies, including U.S. and European forces, have previously carried out operations to protect commercial shipping from Houthi attacks. Italy’s planned unilateral deployment underscores concern that multilateral decision‑making may be too slow to respond to rapidly changing security dynamics. Crosetto framed the deployment as a practical step to secure Italian merchant traffic rather than waiting for a broader coalition decision.

Outlook

If Houthi pressure continues and the Bab el‑Mandeb becomes less accessible, shippers could be forced to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of kilometres to voyages between Asia and Europe and driving up fuel, insurance and freight costs. For oil producers dependent on Red Sea corridors, prolonged disruption would further narrow export options and could reverberate through global energy markets. Italy’s deployment is likely to be among several national and coalition responses in the coming weeks as governments weigh military protection of commercial routes against the diplomatic and operational challenges of securing one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.