Red Sea: French frigate shot down two drones coming from Yemen
The French multi-mission frigate Languedoc shot down two drones in the Red Sea that were heading towards it from the coast of Yemen, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said on Sunday (December 10th) at a time of renewed tensions in this strategic maritime area.
The FREMM frigate "Languedoc" (D653), on exercise in the Mediterranean, on March 27, 2023. AFP - JACK GUEZ
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"The interception and destruction of these two major threats" took place on the night of Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 December by the multi-mission frigate Languedoc which operates in the Red Sea, the General Staff said in a statement. According to the French army, the two interceptions took place on Saturday night at 21:30 p.m. and 23:30 p.m. on Saturday French time (20:30 p.m. and 22:30 p.m. UT), or at 23:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Sunday in Yemen, 110 kilometers from the Yemeni coast near the city of Al-Hodeidah.
« A direct threat »
A U.S. destroyer shot down three drones last week while assisting commercial ships in the Red Sea targeted by attacks from Yemen, according to Washington, which denounced "a direct threat" to maritime security. Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday (December 9th) threatened to attack any ship in the Red Sea heading towards Israel if the people of the Gaza Strip do not receive the aid they need.
The Yemeni rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and other areas, are part of what they call the "axis of resistance" against Israel, along with groups such as the Palestinian Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah, backed by Iran. In a statement posted on social media, the Houthis said they would "prevent the passage of ships heading towards the Zionist entity" if residents of the Palestinian territory, which has been bombarded by Israel for the past two months, did not receive more humanitarian aid, such as food and medicine.
Heightened tensions
The latest warning comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7 after a deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil.
(With AFP)
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