A French frigate shoots down two drones launched against it

On Monday, French officials reported that a guided-missile frigate from France had come under attack by two lethal drones launched from Yemen. The incident occurred on Saturday when the French guided-missile frigate FS Languedoc (653) was conducting operations in the Red Sea, according to Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister of Armed Forces, who briefed the French Senate.

“On December 9th, the FREMM Languedoc […] successfully shot down two drones that were heading directly towards it, originating from the Yemeni coast. The interception and destruction of these two identified threats occurred around 9:30 PM and then at 11:30 PM [French time], approximately 110 km off the coast of Yemen, near Al Hudaydah,” stated the French Armed Forces General Staff [EMA]. Additionally, the frigate “is operating in the Red Sea under national chain of command.”

French minister of the armed forces @SebLecornu just announced in a hearing to the Senate that FREMM Languedoc used Aster 15 surface to air missiles to shoot down the drones off Yemen. More to come…
(file picture by @MBDAGroup ) https://t.co/AJxYq76NKF pic.twitter.com/dBTAzVThyL

— Xavier Vavasseur (@xaviervav) December 11, 2023

Lecornu informed the Senate that the two drones, intentionally dispatched from Yemen, targeted their multi-mission frigate Languedoc during a patrol in the Red Sea under the authority of the Admiral for the Indian Ocean based in Abu Dhabi. He revealed that the ship successfully neutralized the threat by deploying Aster 15 missiles in self-defense, thereby safeguarding the vessel and its crew.

This attack on the French ship adds to the ongoing tensions in the Red Sea, where Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have been targeting ships, alleging connections to Israel. Yahya Sare’e, the spokesman for the Houthi military, issued warnings on social media, threatening to block ships heading to or from Israel.

The White House has expressed concern about the attacks and is working to establish an international force to counter these threats. However, as of Monday, there were no updates on the formation of a joint maritime task force by the U.S. and its allies to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder emphasized the importance of preventing a wider regional conflict and pledged continued collaboration with Israel and other regional partners. The State and Defense departments are actively working to strengthen the Combined Maritime Forces, with a focus on ensuring sufficient military assets to deter Houthi threats in the Red Sea.