BEIRUT: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told AFP on Thursday that the bloc was expanding its naval mission in the Red Sea where more ships are requiring escorts as the war in Yemen escalates. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis last month seized control of the country’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the Bab Al-Mandab strait, as the previously dormant conflict reignited. The EU, which launched Operation Aspides in 2024 when the Houthis were previously targeting Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping, said last month that the mission had raised its alert level as the fighters again threatened the key waterway. “The list of ships that need escorting is increasing,” Kallas told AFP in an interview during a visit to Lebanon. She said the EU had been urging members of the bloc to supply more vessels for the mission and “the good news is that the member states are already providing more ships.” “We have Belgium coming in with new ships, and two more member states who are providing or actually contemplating providing new ships, so to make it stronger (so) that we can actually cater for all those that need escorting,” she added. “The minimum amount that we actually need is 10 ships. We don’t have that right now, but we are working on getting this there,” she said. “Clearly maritime security is one of our priorities.” The Red Sea is a key shipping route, connecting Asia with Europe via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean at its northern end. It has also become essential for Saudi oil exports with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war. The Houthis have, since the resumption of the war in Yemen, frequently targeted oil facilities and military installations in Saudi Arabia and declared a maritime blockade on the kingdom.