British Authority: Explosion Near Ship off the Coast of Al-Hudaydah, Yemen

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported today, Thursday, that it received a report of "an explosion some distance from the starboard side of a ship off Al-Hudaydah in Yemen." They added that the ship and its crew are safe. Residents stated that "the Houthis fired a missile towards the sea from a camp in the city of Ibb, which is under their control in central Yemen." Houthi militants allied with Iran, who control the most populated areas of Yemen, have launched a wave of bomb-laden drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in recent weeks, describing it as a response to Israeli military operations in Gaza and a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. The Houthi campaign has disrupted international shipping operations. The United States and Britain have conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen and have re-listed the Houthi movement as a "terrorist organization."