France says downing of drones in Red Sea ‘legitimate defence’

France says the frigate Languedoc fired at the drones in ‘self-defence’ – Copyright AFP/File JULIEN DE ROSA, Jung Yeon-je

A French frigate that shot down two drones in the Red Sea was acting in self-defence after coming under attack from the unmanned aerial vehicles, the foreign ministry in Paris said on Monday.

The French general staff reported on Sunday that the Languedoc frigate, operating in the Red Sea, had opened fire on two drones heading straight towards it from the Yemen coast, destroying both.

The incident came after Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels threatened on Saturday to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine were allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip.

The foreign ministry said the drones were engaged in an “attack” on its vessel and had been downed in “legitimate defence”.

The incident occurred amid “attacks and acts of piracy committed by Huthi rebels in the Red Sea”, which represented a “worrying increase of assaults on the freedom of navigation in that zone”, it added.

The ministry urged the Huthis to “immediately stop attacks on civilians” and the freedom of movement.

France was closely following developments in the Red Sea and called “on all actors to avoid any regional flare-up”.

The general staff said on Sunday the drone interceptions happened at 2030 GMT and 2230 GMT on Saturday, 110 kilometres (68 miles) from the Yemeni coast and the port of Hudaydah, which is under rebel control.

The drones “were flying directly towards the vessel”, the general staff said.

The frigate used surface-to-air missiles of the Aster 15 type, designed for defence against short- to medium-range threats, a military source told AFP, asking not to be named.

– Red Sea tensions –

The French navy had not used surface-to-air missiles in self-defence before.

The incident came amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, following a series of maritime attacks by Huthi rebels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

In a statement posted on social media, the Huthis said they “will prevent the passage of ships heading to the Zionist entity” if humanitarian aid is not allowed into Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The Huthis have recently attacked ships they allege have direct links to Israel but the latest threat widens the scope of their targets.

Hamas welcomed the Huthi stance as “bold and courageous”. 

A US destroyer shot down three drones earlier this month while providing assistance to commercial ships in the Red Sea that were targeted by attacks from Yemen, according to Washington.

It condemned what it said was “a direct threat” to maritime security.

Saturday’s incident was the first time that a French military vessel has been targeted by Huthis since Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.

Israel has responded to the Hamas attack with a relentless military offensive that the Hamas authorities in the besieged Palestinian territory say has killed thousands.

Yemen has a long coastline along the Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea, a strategic waterway to Israel in the north.