Possible explosion reported 30 nautical miles south of Yemen's Mokha port (Al Jazeera)
Britain's Maritime Trade Operations Authority confirmed on Monday that it had received a report of a possible explosion near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 30 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Mokha.
The authority said in a guidance note that the possible incident occurred in the waters two nautical miles from one of the ships, and stated that the captain of the ship in question informed it of the possibility of an explosion in the water off one of the ship's sections.
In a statement on the X website, the British authority confirmed that the relevant authorities were conducting an investigation in this regard, advising ships to "proceed with caution and report any suspicious activity to the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority".
Since November 19, the Yemeni Houthi group has been attacking cargo ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, most recently the interception of the Norwegian commercial tanker Strinda on December 12 and two container ships on December 15.
After targeting a number of ships bound for Israel in the strategic strait against the backdrop of the Gaza war, the Houthis threatened to target all ships bound for Israel, regardless of their nationality and who operated them.
Earlier, it was reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden is considering its options for responding to the Houthis, following a tour of US officials to concerned Arab countries.
Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies