French frigate downs drones over Red Sea: military

A French frigate shot down two drones in the Red Sea that were heading towards it from the coast of Yemen, the French military said on Sunday.

The incident came after Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Saturday threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine were allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip.

“The interception and destruction of these two identified threats” were carried out late Saturday by the frigate Languedoc, which operates in the Red Sea, the general staff said in a press release.

The interceptions happened at 2030 GMT and 2230 GMT, it added, and were 110 km (68 miles) from the Yemeni coast and the port of Hudaydah, which is under rebel control.

The drones “were flying directly towards the vessel”, the general staff said.

The frigate used surface-to-air missiles of the Aster 15 type, designed for defence against short to medium-range threats, a military source told AFP, asking not to be named.

The French navy had not used surface-to-air missiles in self-defence before.

The latest Huthi warning came amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and surrounding waters following a series of maritime attacks by Huthi rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

In a statement posted on social media, the Huthis said they “will prevent the passage of ships heading to the Zionist entity” if humanitarian aid is not allowed into Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The Huthis have recently attacked ships they claim have direct links to Israel, but their latest threat expands the scope of their targets.

Hamas welcomed the Huthi stance, calling it “bold and courageous”.

An American destroyer shot down three drones last week while providing assistance to commercial ships in the Red Sea targeted by attacks from Yemen, according to Washington, which denounced “a direct threat” to maritime security.

Saturday’s incident was the first time that a French military vessel was targeted by Huthis since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.

Yemen has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea, a strategic waterway to Israel in the north.

Attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf “are a recurring and ancient phenomenon” Alain Coldefy, a retired French admiral, told AFP.

“This maritime zone has always been a dangerous place,” he said.

Since the 1973 Yom Kippur war, oil transport there had been well-protected, but “the presence of robust naval forces to ensure the freedom of navigation is no longer enough,” he said.

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