A CHINESE warship fired a laser at a Nato aircraft in a high-stakes showdown in the Horn of Africa.

Furious German officials slammed Beijing for playing with fire after the incident in Djibouti – the only country in the world with both US and Chinese military bases.

Reports said the laser was fired from a frigate at an unidentified German aircraft.

Germany summoned China’s ambassador for a ferocious dressing down amid fears that a military miscalculation could spiral into war.

Officials said the incident was “completely unacceptable” and had put aviators’ lives at risk.

Berlin’s foreign ministry said: “The Chinese military employed a laser targeting a German aircraft in the EU operation Aspides.”

They added: “Endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable.

“The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the Federal Foreign Office today.”

Germany is known to have a Sea Lynx helicopter embarked on a frigate in the region.

It was not immediately clear whether the laser was a weapon or part of a guidance system.

The plane was flying as part the EU’s Aspides mission to protect boats passing through the Red Sea.

It was forced to abandon its operation following the senseless disruption and return to its base in Djibouti.

The EU launched Operation Aspides early last year to establish a naval presence in the Red Sea and Gulf amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on international commercial vessels.

Just this morning the Houthis were bombarding a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, after claiming to have sunk another vessel.

UK Maritime officials said that the Greek-owned Eternity C ship remained “surrounded by small craft and is under continuous attack”.

Two people onboard were reported to be missing, and at least two to have been hurt.

The Houthis haven’t claimed this morning’s attack, but Yemen’s exiled government and the EU force blamed them.

And on Sunday night, Israel bombed the hijacked Brit ship Galaxy Leader seized by Houthis in devastating wave of airstrikes.

The car carrier was snatched by the terror group when crack troops swooped onto it with a helicopter in November 2023.

The Galaxy Leader is owned by a British company, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar.

The militants had celebrated its capture as a war trophy – with Yemeni influencers visiting the vessel to show it off.

The brutal attack on Sunday night involved around a whopping 50 missiles and bombs, according to the IDF.