A German naval frigate sent to the Red Sea to defend against Houthi attacks almost shot down a US drone earlier this week, German magazine Der Spiegel reports.
The report said the Hessen frigate fired two missiles at a US Reaper reconnaissance drone after efforts to identify it were unsuccessful, but missed due to a “technical defect”.
Germany’s Defence Ministry confirmed on Monday that there was an incident involving the frigate and a drone from a friendly nation, but did not name the country.
“The case was resolved when it turned out that it wasn’t a hostile drone, which only became clear in hindsight,” ministry spokesperson Michael Stempfle said.
The German frigate arrived in the area at the weekend as part of an EU mission to protect the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from Houthi attacks on vessels in the vital international shipping lane.
source: AlJazeera
