UK maritime agency reports incident east of Yemen's Aden

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo by Buddy Photo via Unsplash

CAIRO (Reuters) -The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said on Tuesday that it received a report of an incident for a vessel 100 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden, the first report by the agency in the area in months.

The vessel's crew were safe and it was proceeding to the next port of call, UKMTO said, after reporting it was being followed by people in multiple small vessels for about two hours with shots being fired.

The agency said it was investigating the incident, without identifying the vessel or naming the potential attackers.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis had launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

During that period, the group sank two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to reroute.

The Houthis did not immediately comment on the latest attack reported by the UKMTO. 

The Houthis briefly suspended attacks after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza in January. However, the Yemeni group vowed to resume attacks against Israeli ships in March as Israel did not lift a block on aid entering the Palestinian enclave.

The Yemeni group have also vowed to continue attacks on shipping after the U.S. launched its biggest and deadliest military operation in Yemen since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.

 (Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa El Din; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lisa Shumaker)