UK Agency: Incident Detected West of Al-Mokha in Yemen

A memorandum from the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported on Saturday that an incident occurred 23 nautical miles west of the Yemeni city of Al-Mokha. The agency announced that a vessel was hit by a projectile believed to be "Houthi," noting that the crew successfully extinguished a fire caused by the projectile and that both the ship and crew are safe. The Houthis are targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea that they suspect are linked to Israel or are headed to its ports, claiming that this is in support of the Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war. The attacks and tensions in the Red Sea have prompted many major shipping companies to divert their vessels to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Washington is leading an international maritime coalition aimed at "protecting" maritime navigation in this strategic region, through which 12% of global trade passes.