A ship travelling off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden came under attack early on Tuesday, officials said, though no one was hurt. It was not clear who launched the attack.
The captain of the vessel heard a splash and explosion in the vicinity of the ship, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said in a statement. The vessel and crew reported safe and are proceeding to their next port of call, the centre added.
The attack happened about 225 km off the coast of Aden, which is held by forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled government. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor but did not immediately claim responsibility for this incident. It typically takes them hours or even days to claim an assault.
The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza, stating they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have severely disrupted shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion worth of goods passed each year before the conflict.
The Houthis paused their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. However, they later became the target of an intense, weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by former US President Donald Trump before a ceasefire was declared with the rebels.
In July, the Houthis sank two vessels, killing at least four people aboard, with others believed to be held by the rebels.
The attack on Tuesday occurred as Israel has intensified its war efforts, targeting Gaza City with a new ground offensive. Meanwhile, tensions remain high as United Nations sanctions are due to be reimposed on Iran over Tehran’s embattled nuclear programme.
Israel previously launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic during which the United States bombed three Iranian atomic sites.
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