Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced an attack on a commercial ship off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden.

UKMTO stated that the captain of a commercial ship reported explosions in the vicinity of his ship 126 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen.

It added that "The crew are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port call," noting that "Authorities are investigating" and advising ships to "Transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."

This attack comes two days after the leader of the Yemeni group Ansarallah, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, announced an increase in the number of ships targeted by his forces to 153 ships affiliated with Israel, the United States, and Britain, according to his statement.

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden since Ansarallah began in November last year to launch attacks on ships it claims are linked to Israel or heading to its ports in response to Israeli military operations against Palestinian factions in Gaza.

On October 10th last year, Ansarallah announced its support for Palestinian factions in confronting the Israeli army in Gaza with missile and aerial attacks and "other military options" if the United States directly intervenes in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the sector.