A merchant ship reports two explosions off the coast of Yemen

A merchant ship sailing through the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen reported two explosions that occurred very close to the ship, the UK Maritime Safety Agency (UKMTO) said on Tuesday.

“The ship and all crew are safe,” the UKMTO said, adding that “authorities are investigating” the explosions, which occurred south of the Yemeni city of Aden.

The British agency, which falls under the Royal Navy, did not provide details about the ship or the nature of the attack.

Since November, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, disrupting global maritime trade in the strategic area.

Iran’s allies, the Houthis, say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the context of the war launched in October by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, the rebels threatened to expand their operations to attack ships in the Mediterranean bound for Israel.

Faced with attacks by the Houthis, the United States, which backs Israel, created a multinational force in December to protect shipping in the Red Sea and began attacks against rebels in Yemen in January with help from the United Kingdom.

But the attacks have not stopped the Houthis, who control large areas of Yemen and are now targeting ships linked to Israel, as well as US and British ships.

On Monday, US forces shot down a drone launched by the Houthis over the Red Sea, US military command in the Middle East said in a statement.

The US command added that the drone “poses an immediate threat to US coalition forces and commercial vessels in the region.”