The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said on Monday that it had received a report about an incident that occurred near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, 30 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Mokha.

The authority said in a guidance note, reported by Reuters, that “a possible explosion occurred in the waters, two nautical miles from one of the ships.”

The Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, have attacked ships in shipping lanes in the Red Sea, and launched drones and missiles towards Israel, since the start of its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, more than two months ago.
The two companies were " Danish Maersk and German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd announced, on Friday, the suspension of the passage of their ships in the Red Sea, in light of the attacks carried out by the Houthis, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have intensified their attacks near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is strategic for maritime transport as it separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and through which 40 percent of international trade passes.

American and French warships that were patrolling the area shot down several missiles and drones.

On Friday, the Houthis said that “ships off Yemen will not be targeted if they respond to their directives,” but ships heading to Israeli ports “will be prevented from sailing in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea until the food and medicine that our brothers in Gaza need enters.”

 The Red Sea...a new American initiative to confront the Houthis. Al-Hurra channel's correspondent quoted multiple sources as saying, on Sunday, that US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, is preparing to launch a new initiative to secure and protect international navigation from the increasing attacks launched by the Houthis.
A senior official in the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, said on Sunday that the threats from the Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea are “global and constitute an international challenge.”

Al-Hurra channel correspondent quoted multiple sources on Sunday that US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, is preparing to launch a new initiative to secure and protect international navigation from the increasing attacks launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

The initiative is called “Operation Prosper, Protect and Work,” and it comes as a successor to what was known as the “Maritime Task Force,” to which more than 30 countries have joined.

On Saturday, a Houthi spokesman said that the group was holding talks, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman, with “international parties” regarding the ongoing “operations” in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.