Yemen: explosion reported near vessel east of Aden, says UK maritime agency

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Thursday that it had received a report of an explosion near a vessel 85 nautical miles east of Yemen’s port city of Aden, Reuters has reported.

Yemen’s de facto Houthi government has launched repeated drone and missile attacks against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait since mid-November. The attacks are said to be in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and against Israel’s military offensive in the enclave.

The targets of the Houthi have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources. However, the Houthis insist that they are only targeting cargo vessels with links to the occupation state of Israel.

Nevertheless, the attacks have prompted several shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea route and opt for a longer and more expensive route around Africa. Meanwhile, US and British warplanes have carried out retaliatory strikes across Yemen.

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