After the "Al-Aqsa flood" flood unleashed by Hamas, India has not been active in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, except for condemning Hamas's attacks on Israel.
However, the trees want to be quiet and the wind does not stop, and India is still being dragged into the water.
According to the "Hindustan Times" 28**, in response to the recent frequent attacks on merchant ships, India decided to send troops to the Middle East for the safety of shipping between the Bowmandeb Strait and the Indian coast, and the Indian Navy sent 5 missile destroyers, 1 25,000-ton supply ship, 1 Boeing P-8 anti-submarine patrol aircraft and 1 "Sea Guardian" UAV.
Seeing that India is so generous, I have to say that India has really moved this time.
India's move may be based on three considerations.
First, India really can't hide this time.
On December 23, when the U.S. military announced that an Indian-flagged Gabonese oil tanker had been attacked, India denied that the tanker was flying the Indian flag, and the back foot had to face the attack on a merchant ship off the coast of India. It can be seen that India cannot stay out of the situation, and judging from the performance of the United States, the United States seems to want India to be drawn into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Second, India needs to "defend" its oil export business.
India's oil imports from the Middle East mainly pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and the situation in the Red Sea is not greatly affected. However, after the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, India imported a large amount of cheap Russian oil and made a windfall by acting as an "oil washing station" between Russia and Europe, and the tension in the Red Sea is bound to affect India's oil exports to the EU, and India cannot let go of this benefit.
Third, India is also an ambitious power, and since the "situation is pressing," India may not be thinking of increasing its influence in the Middle East.
According to TASS 27**, after a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia supports India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. This is not the first time that Russia has made such a statement, and "normalization" is also India's long-cherished wish, although Russia may be sending "cheap favors" to IndiaBut it's not hard to see India's ambitions to elevate its international influence
The Middle East is both a major oil-producing region and a major transportation route, and it is not far from India, so it is understandable that India is taking the opportunity to increase its influence in the Middle East.
Of course, it is one thing for India to send troops to escort the convoy, and it is another thing to settle economic accounts. Now that the Red Sea route is not so safe, India has also begun to seek to increase oil from its neighboring countries**. India's refiners are not willing to bear this additional burden as shipping risks inevitably lead to higher transportation costs, and India is likely to increase energy imports from the Persian Gulf and Central Asia.