A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition said late on Wednesday after receiving a distress call from a vessel, unidentified assailants harassed an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen.
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According to Saudi state television, the coalition, which is fighting the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen's war, said armed harassment took place near the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. It didn't give further details but warned of high risk for vessels in the area.
It is the latest in a series of incidents this week off Yemen's coast after a period of calm on shipping routes. In recent years, a series of attacks on ships in Middle Eastern waters have been fueled by Yemen's war and regional tensions with Iran.
Several rounds of regional diplomacy appeared to ease tensions in recent months. That came along with efforts by world powers to re-start a nuclear deal with Iran that could help diffuse concerns over its atomic program and allow it to enter the oil markets.
The U.K. Navy spokesman UKMTO said Wednesday that a vessel in Yemen had reported a suspicious approach but that the ship and crew were safe and had continued on their journey. It wasn't immediately clear if this was the same ship as the one identified by the coalition.
The coalition said earlier this week that the Houthis had hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo ship near Hodeida. The coalition said it had been used to carry medical supplies, but the Houthis said it was being used to transport weapons. On Wednesday, the Houthis accused the coalition of seizing a ship carrying fuel oil and said the coalition had directed it toward Jazan in Saudi Arabia.
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