The EU wants to send several warships and airborne early warning systems to protect merchant ships from attacks by missiles and drones. The militant Islamist Houthi militia wants to use the attacks to force an end to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“We will never take refuge in a feeling of superiority, but we are well prepared to deal with the threats,” says the inspector of the German Navy, Jan Christian Kaack. The “Hessen” is sufficiently equipped for the mission and is capable of lasting endurance, he says.