Germany announced, on Wednesday, that two ships belonging to its navy will be forced to detour across Africa due to the “very high level of threat” in the Red Sea, where the situation has become unstable as a result of attacks by the Yemeni Houthis.

German Defense Ministry spokesman Mitko Mueller said during a regular government press conference that Minister Boris Pistorius “decided that the return of a frigate and a supply ship from India would be via the African coast,” which is the long alternative route to the Red Sea.

Mueller added that this decision was taken due to the “very high level of threat” in the Red Sea, in an implicit reference to the Houthis.

He explained: “We have seen in recent days, weeks and months that they are capable of launching very complex attacks, especially with tactical ballistic missiles and drones.”

But he added, "Unlike other German warships, these two ships are not designed to carry out air defense operations."

On Monday, the Yemeni Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks that targeted 3 ships off the coast of Yemen.

With the support of Iran, the Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, have been launching missile and drone attacks since November 2023, on ships they consider to be linked to Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Muller said that the frigate "Baden-Württemberg", after circumventing Africa, will sail to the Mediterranean, where it will carry out a mission for the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

The supply ship "Frankfurt" will continue on its way to Germany, where it is "expected to arrive in early December."

The two ships have been deployed in the Indo-Pacific region since May, as part of international cooperation maneuvers and missions.

On Saturday, during his trip to India, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the crew of the two ships anchored in Goa on the western coast of India.

The attacks that occurred in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden significantly disrupted maritime traffic in this essential region for global trade.

To confront this situation, the United States established an international naval coalition and has been carrying out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen since January, sometimes with British assistance