Italy Moves to Deploy Navy to Shield Shipping in Bab el-Mandeb

Italy is preparing for a possible naval operation to protect its merchant shipping as security concerns intensify around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

Crosetto said he and the country's chief of defence staff had agreed to mobilise the navy and prepare "whatever is necessary" to ensure Italian vessels can transit safely. He did not specify which measures were under consideration or what naval assets might be dispatched to the region.

"I have decided ... to activate the Italian navy to prepare what is necessary to guarantee the safe transit of Italian ships," Crosetto said in a statement.

He warned that slow decision-making could worsen an already difficult situation, with direct consequences for the economy and for citizens' lives.

Concerns over shipping in the Red Sea have grown this month after the Iran-aligned Houthis took control of parts of Yemen's coastline overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb, threatening Saudi oil exports that had been rerouted away from the Strait of Hormuz.

Crosetto said disruptions to major shipping lanes would raise transport costs, delay deliveries and ultimately push prices higher for families and businesses. "Every economic crisis hits the most vulnerable people hardest, putting social cohesion and the country's stability at risk," he said.

The defence minister also pointed to the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure, including data cables and energy links. For a major maritime nation such as Italy, he said, monitoring and protecting the seas both above and below the surface amounts to safeguarding security, prosperity and the country's future.

He added that the defence ministry and the Italian navy would continue to protect the sea and would intervene with determination whenever necessary to safeguard national interests and the security of Italians.