EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said that more than ten warships are needed for the naval mission in the Red Sea, according to العربية. The remark was reported on Monday, 21 September 2026.
The statement points to the scale of naval resources the European Union considers necessary for operations in the Red Sea, a waterway where shipping has faced repeated attacks. العربية did not provide further details on the composition of the force or on which countries might contribute vessels.
The same reporting period saw wide condemnation of attacks attributed to the Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the Muslim World League denounced what it described as continued unlawful assaults on the Kingdom. The United Nations also condemned the ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia and warned against targeting civilians and energy facilities, according to Sabaq. Senegal's authorities condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi cities, and Arab interior ministers likewise denounced the strikes on Riyadh and other Saudi cities, alriyadh.com reported.
Together, the statements reflect a broad international response to the attacks, alongside the separate question of how many ships the Red Sea mission will require. The material did not specify whether the warship figure relates to a new deployment or an existing operation, nor did it name the states expected to take part.
What to watch next: whether EU member states commit additional vessels to the Red Sea mission, and how the mission's size is adjusted in response to the security situation there.
