A blast near a ship off Yemen may mark a new attack by Houthi rebels after a recent lull

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — A ship near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait has seen an explosion in the distance, marking what may be a new attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels through the crucial waterway for international trade. The explosion Wednesday, reported by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, comes after a relative lull from the Houthis after they launched dozens of attacks on shipping in the region over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the blast, but suspicion fell on the group as they’ve repeatedly targeted ships in the same area. It typically takes the Houthis several hours before acknowledging their assaults. The explosion happened some 80 miles southeast of Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden.