Two explosions reported near vessel off Yemen: UK agency

A merchant vessel passing through the Gulf of Aden off Yemen reported two explosions in "close proximity", British maritime security agency UKMTO said Tuesday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the "vessel and all crew are safe," adding that "authorities are investigating" the blasts south of Yemen's southern port city of Aden.

UKMTO, which is run by Britain's Royal Navy, did not provide details on the ship or the nature of attack.

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November.

The Huthis say their campaign is in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.

On Friday, they threatened to expand operations targeting Israel-bound shipping to the Mediterranean Sea.

The United States announced an initiative in December to protect Red Sea shipping from Huthi attacks, which have prompted major firms to avoid the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

Since January, the US and Britain have also launched repeated retaliatory strikes on Huthi targets in Yemen.

On Monday, US military forces downed a drone launched by the Huthis over the Red Sea, the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

The drone "presented an imminent threat to US coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region", CENTCOM said.