Vessel Near Yemen Said to Report Drones, Explosions in Red Sea 

A boat is anchored on the beach of the Arabian Sea near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the port city of Aden, Yemen, 22 December 2023 (issued 24 December 2023). (EPA)
A boat is anchored on the beach of the Arabian Sea near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the port city of Aden, Yemen, 22 December 2023 (issued 24 December 2023). (EPA)
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Vessel Near Yemen Said to Report Drones, Explosions in Red Sea 

A boat is anchored on the beach of the Arabian Sea near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the port city of Aden, Yemen, 22 December 2023 (issued 24 December 2023). (EPA)
A boat is anchored on the beach of the Arabian Sea near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, in the port city of Aden, Yemen, 22 December 2023 (issued 24 December 2023). (EPA)

Two explosions in the Red Sea were reported by a vessel sailing off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday shortly after two unmanned aircraft were sighted, a British maritime authority said.

The explosions occurred around 5 miles from the vessel in an area of the Red Sea 50 miles from the port of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in an advisory.

The identity of the vessel, details of the cargo onboard or where it was sailing to or had sailed from were not disclosed.

The UKMTO said the vessel was in contact with coalition forces and that the vessel and crew had been reported safe.

The vessel was said to be continuing its voyage.

The reported incident comes a week after the United States announced a multinational maritime security initiative in the Red Sea in response to attacks on vessels by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militias.

The militias have attacked commercial vessels sailing the sea since October, a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza besieged by Israel.

The militias have said they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels and those heading to Israel, warning shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. Several shipping lines have suspended operations through the Red Sea waterway in response to the attacks, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until Israeli halts the war and warned that they would attack US warships if they themselves were targeted.

The Houthis have also since fired drones and missiles towards southern Israel.



Hamas Claims Attack on Israeli Bus in West Bank That Wounded 8 People, Including 4 Soldiers

Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
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Hamas Claims Attack on Israeli Bus in West Bank That Wounded 8 People, Including 4 Soldiers

Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP
Four people suffered bullet wounds, three of them serious, and four others were lightly injured by shards of glass, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service - AFP

Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting attack on an Israeli bus in the occupied West Bank on Friday that wounded eight people, including four soldiers.

It was the latest violence to scar the territory as tensions run high 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war.

The attacker, who Hamas identified in a statement as Samer Hussein, 46, was killed by Israeli troops shortly after opening fire toward the bus at a junction near the Israeli settlement of Ariel.

The military said four soldiers were lightly wounded. Paramedics said three people were critically wounded.

Attacks by Palestinian fighters on Israelis in the volatile territory have grown more common since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, as Palestinian deaths have also spiked.  

Israeli fire has killed 796 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, mostly in military raids on Palestinian cities and towns. Attacks by settlers on Palestinians and their property have also increased.