British maritime security agency UKMTO reported explosions late last night near a cargo ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa, AFP reports.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received reports of up to three explosions 1-5 nautical miles from the merchant vessel, which was travelling between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen.
“Master reports no damage to the vessel and crew are reported safe at present,” the agency, run by Britain’s Royal Navy, said in a brief message. “Authorities are investigating.”
In recent weeks, Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched a flurry of drone and missile strikes targeting commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. They say their strikes are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has killed over 22,000 people.
