Following the attacks suffered south of Crete by the Sumud Flotilla — which is sailing towards Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid — and in light of the presence of several Italian citizens on board, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto yesterday decided to deploy the frigate Virginio Fasan (F591) to the area. The ship had been sailing north of Crete en route to the Salamis Naval Base to be inspected by Greek Navy officers as part of preliminary talks for a possible transfer to Greece.
The decision was taken in case assistance might be needed and to provide a deterrent against further possible attacks, although the minister stressed that the vessel is not acting as an escort for the flotilla.
This morning, Minister Crosetto also decided to dispatch a second FREMM frigate, the Alpino (F594), to the area, noting that “this vessel has different capabilities from the Fasan,” even though both ships are FREMM-class frigates configured for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
According to the Italian Minister of Defence, the frigate Alpino will replace Fasan, which will resume her original mission.
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Mi domando quali saranno le regole d’ingaggio. Supponiamo che la marina israeliana effettui palesi interventi di minaccia, che faranno le nostre due fregate?
La presenza della nave italiana (che si fermerà a limite delle acque territoriali israeliane) scoraggerà qualsiasi altro atto ostile.
Grazie per la risposta. Buon lavoro.