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UK maritime agency reports that a ship was attacked in the Red Sea near Yemen.

An attack on a ship in the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen's southwest coast, was launched by eight small boats using gunfire and grenades. A British maritime agency and a security firm confirmed the incident.

The situation continues, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and British maritime security company Ambrey.

The attack was not immediately attributed to anyone.

This is the first report on the region by the agencies since the middle of April. The tensions in the Middle East are still high due to the conflict in Gaza, the 12-day Israel/Iran war that lasted for 12 days and the airstrikes conducted by the United States against Iranian nuclear sites.

The UKMTO and Ambrey reported that the attack took place 51 nautical miles southwest from Yemen's port of Hodeidah. The ship was not named.

Yemen's Iran aligned Houthis launched over 100 attacks against shipping in November 2023. They claimed they were acting as a solidarity with Palestinians regarding Israel's conflict with Hamas.

The group has sunk two ships and seized another, killing at least four seafarers. This offensive disrupted the global shipping industry, forcing companies to change their routes, which in turn prompted the U.S. government to intensify its attacks against the group.

In May, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. will stop bombing Houthis in Yemen. He said the group has agreed to stop interfering with important shipping routes in the Middle East.

Oman stated in a press release at the time that the agreement stipulated neither the U.S. or the Houthis could target each other. This included U.S. vessels in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Bab al-Mandab strait.

In June, the Houthis of Yemen threatened to attack U.S. vessels in the Red Sea in case Washington joined Israeli attacks against Iran. The Houthis have not stated whether they intend to follow through with their threat following the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities in late June. Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Jaidaa Taka; Editing by Alison Williams, Emelia Sithole Matarise

(source: Reuters)