Languedoc under attack: Drones detected on radar
5:33 AM EST, December 10, 2023
The French frigate Languedoc intercepted two drones approaching from the coastlines of Yemen in the Red Sea. The general staff of the army reported this on Sunday.
"The interception and destruction of two identified threats" were performed by the frigate Languedoc while operating in the Red Sea late on Saturday evening, according to a press release from the general staff.
The occurrence happened around 68 miles off the Yemeni coastline. The French navy stated that the drones were directed straight towards Languedoc from Hodeidah, a Yemeni port city under the control of the Houthi rebels.
Houthi declare 'every ship is a target'
The Houthi movement's spokesman cautioned on Saturday that all ships traveling to Israel via the Red Sea would be marked as targets if food aid is not delivered to the Gaza Strip. The Iranian authorities support the Houthi movement.
If Gaza does not receive the food and medicinal aid it needs, all ships in the Red Sea en route to Israeli ports, regardless of their flags, will be targeted by our armed forces," warned Yemeni rebel spokesperson Yahya Sari.
"Our ban on accessing the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea applies to all vessels destined for Israeli ports," read the Houthi statement. The statement also mentioned that this decision would take immediate effect.
The Iran-backed rebels, known as the Houthis, are attacking Israel and Israeli ships in the Red Sea with long-range rockets and drones in retaliation to the Israeli military's actions against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis have ambushed and captured several Israel-associated ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait. This strait is a significant maritime route transporting a large portion of the world's oil.
