The German frigate ”Nordrhein-Westfalen” will keep carrying out its deployment in the Mediterranean as part of the UN peace mission UNIFIL, regardless of the conflict in the Middle East.
When asked whether the ship’s readiness has been heightened in response to drone attacks, a spokesperson for the German Defence Ministry told Deutsche Nachrichtenagentur on Monday that a warship in active service is always on high alert around the clock. He added that the current threat environment “has a clear impact on the crew” and that “we might add roughly ten percent more to the load”.
“Nevertheless, the vessel will continue its mission and, of course, operates within the UN framework” the spokesperson continued. “The UN command runs the operation and we see no major deviations, except of course that the situation has become massively aggravated”.
The frigate set sail from Wilhelmshaven toward the Lebanese coast in mid‑February, and stopped in Cyprus over the weekend. It normally takes part in the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.
