French warship in Red Sea targeted by drones launched from Yemen

France says that one of its warships in the Red Sea was targeted by two drones coming from Yemen. Both were intercepted and shot down. 

FILE PHOTO: The French Languedoc (D653), a FREMM multipurpose frigate, performs manuevers during the "Noble Dina 23" multilateral aeronautical exercise in the Mediterranean sea on 27 March, 2023. AFP - JACK GUEZ

In a short statement released on Sunday, the Armies Ministry did not say who fired the drones at the French Navy frigate Languedoc on Saturday night. 

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have vowed to target ships operating in the Red Sea.

The Houthi are staunch foes of Israel and they have claimed a series of maritime attacks since the 7 October assault on Israel by Hamas militants that sparked their latest and deadliest war.

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Earlier on Saturday, the Houthis had threatened to attack any ship in the Red Sea heading for Israel if the population of the Gaza Strip did not receive emergency aid, in a statement published on social networks.

All "ships linked to Israel or which will be transporting goods" to Israel are not welcome in the Red Sea, a strategic area located between north-east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, they warned.

This is the first time that a French military vessel has been targeted by the Houthis since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October, triggered by a deadly attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil. 

Interception dans la soirée de deux drones en provenance du Yémen par la FREMM Languedoc en mer Rouge. pic.twitter.com/2cug1Sn48C

— Armée française - Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) December 9, 2023

Shipping lanes targeted

France's Armies Ministry said the drones “came straight at” the Languedoc two hours apart from the direction of Yemen.

The warship destroyed them both about 110 kilometres off the Red Sea port of Al Hudaydah on the Yemeni coast. 

The statement did not say what weaponry the Languedoc used to bring down the drones.

Last week, a US destroyer shot down three drones while providing assistance to commercial vessels in the Red Sea targeted by attacks from Yemen, according to Washington, which denounced what it called "a direct threat" to maritime security.

On 19 November, the Houthis seized the merchant ship Galaxy Leader, which belongs to a British company owned by an Israeli businessman.