Explosions near ship off Yemen

Explosions were reported near a ship east of the Yemeni port city of Aden on Friday, Britain's maritime safety agency UKMTO said.

The agency, which did not identify the vessel, said the ship was able to continue its journey and "the crew are reported safe".

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in attacks they say are in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

The rebel attacks have prompted reprisal strikes by US and British forces and the formation of an international coalition to protect the vital shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The US military said Thursday that it had destroyed four Huthi nautical drones and two aerial ones over the Red Sea off Yemen.

Washington also called on the Huthis to release humanitarian workers detained earlier this month.

The Huthis are engaged in a long-running civil war that has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than half of the population is dependent on aid in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.