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The maritime surveillance aircraft was part of the EU mission
Aspides, which is intended to better defend civilian ships
against attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen. It was lasered
earlier this month “without any reason or prior contact” by a
Chinese warship that had been encountered several times in the
area, the German Defense Ministry said.
“By using the laser, the warship accepted the risk of
endangering people and material,” a spokesperson for the Defense
Ministry said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with
government policy.
The ministry said that as a precaution, the aircraft’s mission
was aborted. It landed safely at the base in Djibouti and the
crew is in good health, it said. The aircraft has since resumed
its operations with the EU mission in the Red Sea.
The German Foreign Office said in a post on X that “endangering
German personnel and disrupting the operation is entirely
unacceptable.”
China's spokespeople did not comment immediately Tuesday.
The EU mission only defends civilian vessels and does not take
part in any military strikes. The southern part of the Red Sea
is deemed a high-risk zone.
On Tuesday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels continued an hourslong attack
targeting a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea,
authorities said, after the group claimed to have sunk another
vessel in an assault that threatens to renew combat across the
vital waterway.
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