The Hessen frigate, deployed in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships, repelled attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia. It was the first use of live weapons by the German Navy as part of the EU Aspides mission. According to the Bundeswehr, the frigate shot down two drones. There were no injuries or material damage to the German frigate, said a message on X.
The German Bundestag approved the operation last Friday. It is considered the most dangerous naval mission in the history of the Bundeswehr.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia wants to force an end to Israeli attacks on Hamas terrorist positions in the Gaza Strip by attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea. The sea route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal is one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world. Due to attacks in recent months, major shipping lines are increasingly avoiding the shortest shipping route between Asia and Europe. The international military presence in the region, including from the US and Great Britain, aims to protect merchant maritime traffic. Almost every day, the military neutralizes Houthi drones and missiles or bombs their positions.
Hessen had already departed Wilhelmshaven towards the operational area before the Bundestag vote – with the aim of being able to carry out its mission immediately after the Bundestag decision. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said the operation would make the region more stable. “But we must also be clear: the Hesse mission is one of the most dangerous for the German Navy in decades.”
Supported by Yemen
Last week, the Houthi militia announced it intended to expand attacks on merchant ships off the country's coast. The conflict is worsening in response to Israel's escalation in the Gaza Strip, the group's leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech. So far, 48 ships have been attacked. He also announced the use of underwater weapons.
US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, sees evidence that Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah are “equipping and supporting” the Yemeni militia in their attacks on Red Sea cargo ships directly from Yemen. “Credible public reports” indicated “that a significant number of Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah officials support Yemen’s Houthi attacks,” Lenderking told a U.S. Senate subcommittee. The US envoy to Yemen said he “cannot imagine that the Yemeni people would want these Iranians in their country”. “This has to stop.”
The Hessen frigate, deployed in the Red Sea to protect merchant ships, repelled attacks by the Yemeni Houthi militia. It was the first use of live weapons by the German Navy as part of the EU Aspides mission. According to the Bundeswehr, the frigate shot down two drones. There were no injuries or material damage to the German frigate, said a message on X.
The German Bundestag approved the operation last Friday. It is considered the most dangerous naval mission in the history of the Bundeswehr.