Security agency reports blast near vessel off Yemen

A British maritime security agency said an explosion was heard Tuesday near a vessel off Yemen, where Houthi rebels have been targeting shipping since the Gaza war began in 2023.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), run by Britain's Royal Navy, said it "received a report of an incident 120 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen."

It reported "splash and sound of explosion in the vicinity of the vessel. Vessel and crew reported safe and proceeding to the next port of call," it added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which UKMTO described as an "attack."

The Iran-backed Houthis, who have controlled large swathes of Yemen for more than a decade, have been attacking vessels they deem linked to Israel since soon after the Gaza war began with the Hamas attack of October 2023.

Earlier this month, the rebels said they had fired a missile at a tanker in the Red Sea, days after Israeli strikes killed their prime minister and nearly half of his cabinet.