French naval ship in Red Sea intercepts 2 drones launched from Houthi-held Yemen port
France’s military says the UAVs were headed
‘straight toward’ the frigate Languedoc; incident comes after
Iran-backed rebels threatened to attack all vessels heading to Israel
PARIS — A French frigate shot down two drones in the Red Sea that
were heading toward it from the coast of Yemen, the French military said
on Sunday.
“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 20:30 GMT and 22:30 GMT, it added, and were 110 kilometers (68 miles) from the Yemeni coast.
The French navy said the drones were coming “straight toward” the
Languedoc from Hodeida, a Yemeni port city held by the Houthi rebels.
The statement did not say whether the French navy assesses its frigate was the target of the drones.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saturday threatened
to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports, regardless of whether
the ship’s ownership is linked to the Jewish state, unless more food and
medicine were allowed into the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have fired several ballistic missiles and drones at Eilat
since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October, all of which
were intercepted or missed their targets. The latest attack came
Wednesday when Israel shot down a ballistic missile over the Red Sea.
In November, the Houthis seized a vehicle transport ship linked to
Israel in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels still hold the vessel near
Hodeida.
In a statement posted on social media, the Houthis said they “will
prevent the passage of ships heading to the Zionist entity” if
humanitarian aid is not allowed into Hamas-ruled Gaza.
The Houthis have recently attacked ships they claim have direct links
to Israel, but their latest threat expands the scope of their targets.
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.
The Biden administration has urged Israel not to respond to recent attacks by the Houthis, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
But Israeli National Security Council chairman Tzachi Hanegbi said in
a Channel 12 interview on Saturday night that if the international
community does not deal with the threat posed by the Houthis in Yemen,
“Israel will act.” He did not elaborate on what measures would be taken.
