German frigate deployed to Red Sea repels first Houthi attack

A German naval frigate has shot down drones deployed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen for the first time, as part of an EU naval mission in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping.

The Hessen shot down two drones in quick succession on Tuesday evening, the German operations command said.

The targets were successfully hit, and "there was no injury to personnel or damage to property on the frigate," the command centre said.

This was the German navy's first confrontation during this mission which involved live weapons.

The German forces have been involved in the mission since Friday.

The aim is to protect international law, freedom and security on the seas, but also about stabilizing trade routes and the entire region, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said last week.

"It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most serious, the most dangerous deployment of the navy in decades," Pistorius said.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that between 9:50 pm and 10:55 pm local time (0050 GMT-0155 GMT Wedsnedsay) "U.S. aircraft and a coalition warship" shot down five Houthi one-way attack drones over the Red Sea. The command did not specify whether the coalition warship was the Hessen.

CENTCOM forces identified the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) originating from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and "determined they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and to the U.S. Navy and coalition ships in the region," the statement continued.

Last week, the Houthi militia declared its intention to expand attacks on merchant ships off Yemen's coast.

The group's leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised address that the group was escalating its attacks in response to Israel's escalation in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have in the past said they would target vessels linked to Israel, the United States or Britain.

So far, the militia has attacked 48 ships, al-Houthi said. He also announced the use of underwater weapons. Several Western countries, including the US and Britain, are involved in operations to repel the attacks.

EU foreign ministers approved the mission, called Aspides after the Greek word for "shields," on Monday. It involves sending European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.

Aspides vessels have orders only to fire on the militants if they attack first and are be authorized to shoot pre-emptively. The operational command is in the Greek city of Larissa.