Italy is willing to increase its contribution to the EU's naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea, but only if other European countries are prepared to step up, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told The National in an exclusive interview in Rome.
Mr Crosetto also said Italy had responded to Saudi Arabia’s request for assistance during the war, sending radars, anti-missile batteries and other assets to help the kingdom defend itself against Iranian attacks and later against those by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas affirmed last month that the EU’s Aspides mission would need to boost its numbers to more than 10 warships. And this week, she said two countries had indicated interest in sending ships to the Red Sea to counter strikes by the Iran-aligned Houthis.
“We are one of the countries that believed in the Aspides mission from the very beginning, and one of the few countries in Europe that, from the outset, deployed ships to the Aspides mission,” Mr Crosetto explained.
“We have done so by always keeping one ship deployed. We are also willing to increase our contribution, but when we see the same willingness from the rest of Europe to increase its presence. As of today, it is us, the Greeks and sometimes France.”
The Aspides mission was launched in 2024 to protect shipping from Houthi attacks, and diplomats have said there are six warships operating. Ms Kallas has been pressing countries to commit more to the mission.
“They cannot just be any ships. They have to be modern ships, with the technological capabilities and speed required to carry out their mission … top-class naval units, not ships that are 40 years old and perhaps lack the necessary technology,” clarified Mr Crosetto.
This has become a pressing issue for the EU after the Houthis made advances on Yemen's Red Sea coast and started attacking Saudi energy sites and ships. The attacks have brought fears about further disruptions to fuel supplies, which are already tight due to the Iran war.
Saudi Arabia had relied on its Red Sea export route through Yanbu to bypass disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz, with crude loadings at the port reaching near-capacity levels in July.
The Bab Al Mandeb strait is a critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is part of the route connecting Asian trade with Europe through the Suez Canal. About 40 per cent of Italy’s international trade passes through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.
“Italy was one of the countries that responded before others to Saudi Arabia’s request for assistance when this absurd war began,” said Mr Crosetto. “We sent radars, we sent anti-missile batteries and we sent assets capable of providing Saudi Arabia with technological assistance in defending itself against Iranian attacks … and capable of assisting it also against attacks when they came from the Houthis.”
Securing vital routes
Mr Crosetto called for a greater European role in securing stability in the two Middle East straits, saying disruptions to them threaten Arab economies and European industry.
“Given that the crisis that first emerged in Hormuz and now in Bab Al Mandeb is creating major difficulties for European economies, and therefore for European citizens, I believe Europe should play a much greater role than it has so far in trying to bring about peace,” he said.
“I have always supported a greater role for Europe, and I hope this can be achieved even beyond Operation Aspides.”
Rome sent two minehunters and kept them in Djibouti for several months, waiting for the chance to use them in the Strait of Hormuz. “We then brought them back to Italy because there was no operation that would have allowed us to employ them,” said Mr Crosetto.
He noted that the crisis had reinforced Italy’s longstanding ties with the Gulf, which he described as one of sustained co-operation.
He added that Italy’s support for Gulf states during the Middle East war – including military assistance after Iran launched attacks against regional countries – had further demonstrated the strength of those ties.
Since March, Italy has sent air-defence and radar systems and is boosting military ties with several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
“In particular with the UAE, important military and industrial co-operation initiatives have been launched in recent months, which can only be further strengthened once the conflict is over,” said Mr Crosetto.
Building Unifil successor
In Lebanon, Italy is preparing a new international mission to replace the UN peacekeeping force Unifil, but it would need US approval, he noted.
“We are preparing a mission to replace Unifil. We are working to build it,” said Mr Crosetto. “However, we need an international framework, which is why we are also looking to Europe and pursuing dialogue with the United States, because a mission in Lebanon cannot be established without an agreement with the United States.”
The UN Security Council has voted for Unifil to begin withdrawing at the end of 2026. Lebanon has sought an extension, while European and Arab countries have been discussing alternatives to avoid a security vacuum in the south.
Italy has more than 1,000 military personnel in the country, according to its Defence Ministry. It is a major contributor to Unifil, where it commands Sector West, and also runs the Italian Bilateral Military Mission in Lebanon, which trains and supports the Lebanese army. Italy also leads the Military Technical Committee for Lebanon, a multinational effort to strengthen the Lebanese military and support its posting in southern Lebanon.
Mr Crosetto said Italy would prefer Unifil to continue, but added that its rules of engagement would need to change to achieve its intended result.
“That would be the ideal solution, but it is not possible. Israel opposes it,” he said. “The Blue Line no longer exists; there is now a Red Line that Israel wanted to establish. There is continuous fighting, and therefore the international presence in Lebanon needs to change.
“First of all, this must be agreed with the countries that have so far participated in Unifil and maintained a presence on the ground over the years, such as Italy, France, Spain, the United States, but also Indonesia and other countries.”
He said this would mean pressing Israel to change its stance, so the issue would have to wait until after the Israeli elections.
“We, as Italy, have no intention of abandoning Lebanon at a time of such great difficulty,” insisted Mr Crosetto.
“The objective is to maintain peace and security and to train the Lebanese Armed Forces so that they can guarantee security themselves and, in some way, uproot Hezbollah, which has been one of the problems that has brought Lebanon to this point of weakness and crisis.”
Defence budget
Italy’s defence budget has increased and must continue to rise to meet Nato targets, Mr Crosetto said. But, he added, the bigger challenge was how the money is spent as threats evolve.
“The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have taught us that threats are changing and that a country can be threatened with relatively inexpensive weapons,” he said, calling for greater investment in counter-drone measures, artificial intelligence and integrated air defence.
Italy is also reassessing ground warfare and surveillance ability as part of a broader defence overhaul.
“The resources are there, and the resources will increase,” said Mr Crosetto. “The issue is how to spend them to build a genuine capability to defend ourselves against threats that change every day.”
