A French Navy frigate shot down a ballistic missile near the Belgian minehunter Primula in the Bab el-Mandeb strait in mid-October 2026, the Belgian Ministry of Defence confirmed to Flemish public broadcaster VRT NWS on October 26, 2026.
There is no indication that the Belgian vessel was the intended target. Sources cited by De Morgen, which first reported the interception, suggested the launch may have been intended as a warning, although its purpose remains unclear. France has reportedly opened an investigation into the incident.
As of October 26, 2026, no group had claimed responsibility for the launch, and neither Belgium nor France had publicly attributed it.
French FREMM frigate and Aster missile likely involved
Although the French warship remains unidentified, the French Armed Forces General Staff confirmed in its operational update covering October 8–15, 2026 that a FREMM multipurpose frigate was operating in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden under the European Union’s Operation Aspides.
One vessel known to have been operating in the area was Languedoc, an anti-submarine warfare FREMM. On the night of October 1 to 2, 2026, the frigate used its naval gun to shoot down a drone deemed threatening while escorting the container ship CMA CGM Champs Elysées through Bab el-Mandeb, the French Armed Forces General Staff confirmed to Le Monde.
A French Navy photograph dated October 9, 2026, also shows Languedoc escorting a convoy in the Red Sea.
However, there is no confirmation that Languedoc was involved in the ballistic interception.
French FREMM frigates are equipped with Aster surface-to-air missiles. The longer-range Aster 30, carried by the air-defense variants and certain other FREMMs, has an anti-ballistic missile capability.
The French Navy has already demonstrated this capability in combat. On March 21, 2024, the air-defense FREMM Alsace intercepted three ballistic missiles launched from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen while protecting merchant shipping in the southern Red Sea. The engagement was carried out using Aster 30 missiles.
Belgian minehunter lacks missile defenses
Primula (M924) is a Tripartite-class minehunter based in Zeebrugge, Belgium. It departed on May 28, 2026, alongside the Dutch minehunter Willemstad to join NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) in the Mediterranean.
At the time, the Belgian Ministry of Defence said the deployment would allow Belgium to contribute to possible mine clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz, subject to a political decision.
Belgian Navy commander Tanguy Botman stressed that Primula lacked the necessary defenses to operate independently in a hostile environment and would need protection from other warships.
Houthi ballistic missile attacks intensify across the region
Bab el-Mandeb separates Yemen from Djibouti and Eritrea, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The strait has become a flashpoint amid renewed Houthi missile and drone attacks against shipping and Saudi Arabia.
Houthi forces have repeatedly launched ballistic missiles toward Saudi Arabia in October 2026.
A missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) on October 10 killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
On October 20, 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence announced plans to deploy Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons to defend Saudi cities against Houthi missiles and drones.
On October 26, 2026, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition had intercepted another ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh.