Intense video from aboard a French frigate exhibits the fight kill of a ballistic missile within the Purple Sea

• A French warship intercepted at the least three Houthi ballistic missiles on Thursday.

• Intense footage exhibits the second a surface-to-air missile launched and hit one of many threats.

• It marks the newest engagement between Western navies and the Houthis.

Newly launched footage from a French frigate working within the southern Purple Sea exhibits the warship capturing down a Houthi ballistic missile on Thursday.

The frigate, which is deployed to the area as a part of the European Union safety mission Operation Aspides, destroyed three ballistic missiles throughout the incident, marking one of many newest engagements between Western navies and the Iran-backed Houthis.

Within the video, shared to social media by the French army, sailors will be seen engaged on the bridge. A surface-to-air missile is then fired from a launcher. A short while later, it intercepts a goal within the air.

France is one in all a number of international locations working alongside the US Navy to guard worldwide transport lanes from the Houthis, who’ve spent months relentlessly firing drones and missiles at vessels crusing off the coast of Yemen.

Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of US Central Command, or CENTCOM, advised lawmakers on Thursday that French forces destroyed two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles earlier within the day, seemingly referencing this incident, which on the time had but to be confirmed by Paris.

The Houthis began firing anti-ship ballistic missiles on the finish of 2023, marking the primary time that such weapons have been utilized in fight. The rebels have since fired these missiles recurrently, just lately utilizing them to sink their first vessel and stage their first deadly assault — both occurred throughout the previous few weeks.

Past anti-ship ballistic missiles, the Houthis have additionally launched anti-ship cruise missiles, one-way assault drones, and unmanned floor autos, or USVs, that are basically drone boats full of explosives.

Whereas the Houthis haven’t managed to hit US or coalition warships, engagements between the 2 sides are taking place on a near-daily foundation.

Alongside the French motion on Thursday, for instance, German and American forces every destroyed a Houthi drone boat, Kurilla stated throughout testimony to the Home Armed Providers Committee.

US forces additionally routinely conduct preemptive strikes in Yemen, destroying Houthi missiles and drones earlier than the rebels have an opportunity to launch them into the Purple Sea or Gulf of Aden.

In the meantime, the EU’s Operation Aspides — which has now been energetic for greater than a month — said on Wednesday {that a} French helicopter shot down a Houthi drone that posed a risk to business ships.

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