Greece to lead EU security force for ships in Red Sea

Greece on Monday formally agreed to participate in and lead a European Union maritime security operation in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

A security committee headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ordered the participation of a Greek frigate in the Aspides operation — named from the Greek word for “shield” — that was launched last week.

The mission will be run from a military base in Larissa, in central Greece, under the command of Greek navy Cmdr. Vasilios Griparis.

Greece, a major commercial shipping power, has been directly affected by the Houthi terrorist attacks.

The frigate departed on the mission late Monday.