A cargo vessel was hit by a projectile near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait off the coast of southern Yemen, causing an unspecified number of casualties, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Tuesday.
“It has been reported that a cargo vessel in the southern Red Sea has been hit by an unknown projectile resulting in casualties,” said the agency in a statement.
The attack comes amid escalating tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, the Houthis announced they had targeted an Aramco oil refinery in Jizan, in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Later, the Houthis announced they had targeted “Saudi enemy” troops and equipment on Yemen’s Red Sea coast city of Mokha after residents there said they heard blasts.
The confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has resumed after the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi ports in July, and have since launched attacks targeting oil tankers and oil facilities in various parts of Saudi Arabia, as a Saudi-led coalition announced of strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. (AFP)
