British maritime agency reports 'incident' near Yemen

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency on Wednesday said it had received a report of an incident 54 nautical miles south of Yemen's port city of Aden.

"Vessels in the vicinity have reported a loud bang, and a large plume of smoke sighted," it added.

The agency said authorities are investigating the incident.

No further details are provided.

On Tuesday, Yemen’s Houthi group announced that they carried out a military operation in the Red Sea against US warships.

"Yemen's armed forces targeted two US warships with missiles and drones," Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesperson, said in a statement, without providing further details.

The Houthis have been targeting Israeli-owned or operated cargo ships in the Red Sea carrying goods to and from Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been under a destructive Israeli war supported by the US since Oct. 7 last year.

Since Jan. 12, the US and UK have been launching airstrikes targeting Houthi sites in Yemen in response to their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which is occasionally met with responses from the group.

The Houthis have declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.

​​​​​​The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.