Middle East conflict
Frigate “Hessen” repels attack in the Red Sea
The frigate “Hessen” shot down two Houthi drones for the first time in February. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
The Bundeswehr is said to have once again achieved success against attacks by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea. At the same time, the frigate “Brandenburg” is making its way to the Middle East.
The frigate “Hessen” carried out an attack with a surface drone against a civilian towing group Red Sea repelled. The Bundeswehr announced this on X (formerly Twitter).
The drone was destroyed using the frigate’s on-board helicopter. “Bild” had previously reported. For operational reasons, further information about the course of the crime or the operation could not be provided, said a spokesman for the operational command.
At the end of February, the frigate shot down two Houthi drones for the first time. Its mission is to protect merchant ships on the most important sea route from Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal. The Houthi militia, allied with Iran, want to use the attacks to force an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. This is a response to the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel on October 7th.
Frigate “Brandenburg” sets sail for UN mission in the Mediterranean
The German frigate “Brandenburg” set off from Wilhelmshaven for a UN mission in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Lebanon. The warship left its home port as scheduled with around 200 soldiers on board, a Navy spokesman said.
Until mid-July, the “Brandenburg” is expected to help the UN mission Unifil in the maritime area off Lebanon to secure maritime borders and prevent arms smuggling. The training of the Lebanese Navy should also be supported. The “Brandenburg” replaces the frigate “Baden-Württemberg”, which was previously involved in the operation.
The UN mission also monitors the border area between Israel and Lebanon, where there were repeated violent incidents with deaths on both sides after the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th.
For many crew members, it was the first UN mission ever, said commander Andreas Scheiba before departure. The troops had been preparing for the operation for months. “Since the area in which we operate is somewhat volatile at the moment – we have a variety of actors, be it Hezbollah, the Lebanese government, the Israeli troops there in the area – there are also a variety of scenarios that we are preparing for have to,” said the 45-year-old.
In addition to “naval-typical scenarios” such as a fire or water intrusion on the 139-meter-long frigate, this also included additional scenarios. “Above all, how do we deal with this in the event that German citizens have to be evacuated,” said the frigate captain. Scheiba said his crew was “highly motivated” and “very, very professional.”