File image.
The French Navy announced on March 21 that one of its frigates intercepted three ballistic missiles which were launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from Yemen over the southern Red Sea.
In a brief statement posted to the X social platform, previously known as Twitter, the navy said that the missiles were heading in the direction of the frigate and several merchant vessels it was escorting as a part of the United States-allied European Union Naval Force – Aspides operation.
Video footage released by the French Navy showed the launch of what appears to be an Aster-30 interceptor from an Aquitaine-class frigate at a single aerial target.
On March 22, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) contradicted the claims made by the French Navy by stating in a statement posted to X that coalition forces intercepted only two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles a day earlier. It noted that There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition vessels.
In the same statement, the command said that a coalition aircraft successfully engaged and destroyed one unmanned surface vessel that was also launched by the Houthis from Yemen.
“It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to coalition and merchant vessels in the region,” CENTCOM said. “These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for coalition and merchant vessels.”
The Houthis didn’t announce any attack on March 21. There were also no reports of any strikes by the U.S. or its allies against Yemen.
Since late November, the Houthis have attacked more than 60 vessels affiliated with Israel, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden mainly in response to Israeli war and siege on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Despite receiving hundreds of strikes from the U.S. and the UK in recent months, the Houthis continue to develop their military capabilities and are now planning to expand their operations to cover vessels in the Indian Ocean, as they travel toward the Cape of Good Hope.
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