Sana’a, Jan 15 (EFE).- A vessel reportedly hit by a missile southeast of the Yemeni port of Aden amid escalating security tensions in the Red Sea, British Navy said on Monday.<\/p>
\u201cMaster reports port side of vessel hit from above by a missile\u201d The United Kingdom Maritime and Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a short statement, without revealing details of the ship.<\/p>
The incident occurred approximately 95 nautical miles southeast of the Yemeni city of Aden, it added.<\/p>
Although the agency did not provide specific details regarding the possible damage to the ship, it noted that authorities were \u201cinvestigating\u201d the attack in the key maritime zone.<\/p>
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO” in the Red Sea strategic zone, which facilitates the flow of around 15% of global maritime trade.<\/p>
On Monday, the Yemeni Houthi rebels launched several missiles from the northern province of Al Dhalea towards the Gulf of Aden, which serves as an access point to the Red Sea for oil tankers, sources in Yemen told Efe.<\/p>
While not explicitly claiming responsibility for Monday\u2019s vessel attack, the Houthi rebels reiterated that they would continue to prevent the navigation of Israeli ships or those heading to Israeli ports in the global waterway, the group\u2019s Al Masira television reported.<\/p>
The group emphasized that its naval forces were prepared to handle “any emergency or threat” to navigation security in the region, accusing the United States and the United Kingdom of causing disruptions in the Red Sea with their attacks against the group in Yemen.<\/p>
In recent weeks, the Houthis have launched several attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea, insisting that they target vessels belonging to or bound for Israel.<\/p>
Houthis argue that these attacks in the global waterway are in response to Israel\u2019s ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>
In response to these incidents, the United States and the United Kingdom have jointly conducted several strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen to weaken their military capabilities and prevent further attacks in the strategically vital global waterway. EFE<\/p>
ja-cgs\/bks\/mcd<\/p>
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