A German Navy frigate has returned home after completing a four-month United Nations mission in the eastern Mediterranean.
The Brandenburg docked in the northern German port of Wilhelmshaven on Saturday morning, a spokesperson confirmed, with relatives and friends of the 185 servicemen and women on board gathered to welcome them home.
The frigate departed Germany in mid-March to serve as part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Its mission was to combat smuggling, ensure border security and support the training of the Lebanese Navy.
The UN mission also monitors the border area between Israel and Lebanon, where there have been repeated violent incidents with fatalities on both sides, following the October 7 attacks carried out by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
UNIFIL plays a vital role amid enormous tensions in the Middle East, said Andreas Scheiba, commander of the Brandenburg, in a statement.
“Not only did exercises take place here with the Lebanese navy, but also with the Lebanese air force as part of flight operations training,” he added.
According to data from the Navy, the frigate covered a total of around 30 thousand kilometers during its deployment. The experience was valuable to many of the crew members who served on their first deployment after months of training.
The Brandenburg was now replaced by the corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein.
