Red Sea

German frigate repels Houthi attack

Archive picture of the Hesse(Bild: wikipedia.org/US Naval Forces Europe-Africa/US 6th Fleet)

It was only on Friday that the German parliament gave the green light for the participation of the German navy in the EU military mission "Aspides" in the Red Sea. A few days later, the German frigate Hessen has already had to fend off an attack by the Yemeni Houthi militia.

According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, two enemy air targets were successfully engaged on Tuesday. According to media reports, the targets were drones. A few days ago, Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius declared: "The operation is making a contribution to stabilizing the region. But we must also be clear: The deployment of the Hessians is one of the most dangerous for the German Navy in decades."

The Houthi militia, which is allied with Iran, wants to force an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip by firing on merchant ships in the Red Sea. The Israeli military operation is a reaction to the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on October 7.

Houthi militia wants to expand attacks on merchant ships
Last week, the Houthi militia declared its intention to expand attacks on merchant ships off the country's coast. The group's leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised address that they were focusing on escalation in response to Israel's escalation in the Gaza Strip. So far, 48 ships had been attacked. He also announced the use of underwater weapons. In addition to several EU states, the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and Singapore are also involved in missions to repel the attacks. Austria is also involved with several officers.