EU Naval Mission in Red Sea Destroys Missiles, Houthi Seaborne Drone

This handout grab of a video taken and released by the French 'Etat-Major des Armees' on March 20, 2024, shows a Houthi UAV threatening commercial navigation prior to its destruction by a French army helicopter from a French destroyer patrolling in The Red Sea. (Photo by Handout / Etat-Major des Armees / AFP)
This handout grab of a video taken and released by the French 'Etat-Major des Armees' on March 20, 2024, shows a Houthi UAV threatening commercial navigation prior to its destruction by a French army helicopter from a French destroyer patrolling in The Red Sea. (Photo by Handout / Etat-Major des Armees / AFP)
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EU Naval Mission in Red Sea Destroys Missiles, Houthi Seaborne Drone

This handout grab of a video taken and released by the French 'Etat-Major des Armees' on March 20, 2024, shows a Houthi UAV threatening commercial navigation prior to its destruction by a French army helicopter from a French destroyer patrolling in The Red Sea. (Photo by Handout / Etat-Major des Armees / AFP)
This handout grab of a video taken and released by the French 'Etat-Major des Armees' on March 20, 2024, shows a Houthi UAV threatening commercial navigation prior to its destruction by a French army helicopter from a French destroyer patrolling in The Red Sea. (Photo by Handout / Etat-Major des Armees / AFP)

The EU's naval mission in the southern Red Sea said on Thursday it had destroyed three ballistic missiles and a Houthi seaborne drone to protect merchant ships.

The EU's mission, known as Aspides, said on social media platform X that a French warship had destroyed the ballistic missiles and a German destroyed the drone, operated by the Iran-aligned Houthis and spotted near commercial vessels.

Aspides was launched in February to help protect the key maritime trade route from drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi militias, who say they are retaliating against Israel's war on Gaza.

Other countries, including the United States and Britain, also have naval forces operating in the area.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.