(PatriotPostNews.com) – Following a series of joint attacks issued by the United States and United Kingdom on the Houthis in Yemen, Italy split the European response by taking a stand against the actions of its fellow Western nations.
The attacks were launched on January 11 in an effort to stop the Islamic political party in Yemen from interfering with international trade in the Red Sea. The Houthis have been actively targeting ships headed towards Israel and launching missiles at the embattled nation amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
On January 12, the day after the strikes on Iran-backed Houthi bases in Yemen, Italy was joined by Spain and France in refusing to sign a collaborative statement issued by 10 other countries, expressing support and justification for the attacks.
According to a source within the office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the European country did not sign the statement of approval and was consequently not invited to engage in the mission led by the United States and United Kingdom.
The source explained that the government did not participate in part because its involvement required approval from parliament—which would have taken additional time—as well as the government’s belief that the solution to the issues in the Red Sea should be enacting a “calming” policy.
The Italian government later added that it did back “the operations of allied countries” and stood by their “right to defend their vessels” and international trade.
Similarly, an anonymous official from the French government confirmed his nation’s lack of participation in the strikes, saying the reason for doing so was the hope of making further progress in producing peace in the Middle East. France has recently been engaged in talks with regional leaders, calling for no additional escalation between Hezbollah and Israel to keep the war from spreading into Lebanon.
While planes, subs and ships from the United States and United Kingdom directly launched the strikes in Yemen, American officials confirmed that Australia, Canada, Bahrain and the Netherlands contributed logistic and intelligence support to carry out the mission.
Denmark, New Zealand, Germany and South Korea were among several nations to sign a statement of support for the strikes.
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