The German frigate "Hessen" is on its way to the Red Sea (Getty)
A German frigate operating in the Red Sea as part of a European mission to protect commercial ships almost accidentally shot down an American drone, according to what German media reported on Thursday.
The German Ministry of Defense confirmed that an accident involving an allied country's drone occurred last Monday, without mentioning the name of this country.
The Ministry of Defense indicated that the frigate opened fire after it was not informed by its allies of the presence of drones in the region.
For his part, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the Hessen frigate opened fire after efforts to identify an unknown drone failed, but he clarified that the target was not hit.
According to Der Spiegel magazine, the German frigate fired two missiles at a Reaper drone, but they fell into the sea due to a technical defect, as it put it.
Spiegel reported that military officials believe that the "friendly" fire incident showed that coordination between allies participating in various missions in the region surrounding Yemen needs to be improved.
"Hessen" arrived in the region last weekend as part of the European Union's mission to protect navigation in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis, who confirmed that they are targeting ships linked to Israel to support the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and that their attacks will not stop unless the aggression against Gaza stops.
The German army confirmed earlier on Wednesday that the frigate thwarted an attack on Tuesday evening by shooting down two Houthi drones.
Source: French