The diplomat explained that India closely monitors recent events in the region and analyzes all aspects of this panorama, as it is an evolving situation.

“Our defense forces, including Navy ships, are patrolling the region. We are closely monitoring the situation, ensuring the safety of our ships in need of protection”, he confirmed.

The Indian Navy recently increased its presence in the Central and North Arabian Sea in order to protect trade, according to a statement from its Defense Ministry.

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in maritime security incidents related to merchant ships transiting international maritime routes in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the central and northern Arabian Sea, the Ministry explained, and recalled the piracy incident which the Malta-flagged ship MV Ruen was involved in approximately 700 nautical miles off the Indian coast, and the recent drone attack on the MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles southwest of Porbandar, Gujarat.

The Yemeni Houthi militias, however, are attacking ships of countries allied to Israel in demand of the immediate cessation of fire on the part of Israel against the Palestinians in the occupied territories, mainly in the Gaza Strip.

After the start of the attacks against ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi militias, the United States coordinated an alliance to allegedly address security challenges in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden together with the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles Islands and Spain.

The spokesman for Yemen’s Ansar Allah resistance movement, Muhammad Abdul Salam, denounced that the objective of this alliance is not to guarantee the security of international shipping lanes, but rather the interest of the US to preserve Israel and allow it to continue its massacres against the Palestinian people.

jrr/llp/jha/lrd