The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated on Saturday that it had been notified of an incident off the Yemeni coast in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and is currently conducting an investigation.

"UKMTO has received a report of an incident in the vicinity of the Bab El Mandeb, 45NM [nautical miles] South West of Saleef, Yemen. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," the authority said in a statement.

UKMTO NOTICE 020/DEC/2023 UPDATE 001 https://t.co/Z0vTdolDwv#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/r1fNOWHIHD

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) December 23, 2023

Since the start of the war on Gaza, the Yemeni resistance has stated multiple times that it is compelled to seize all Israeli-linked commercial ships or Israeli-owned ships due to the Gaza genocide. 

On Monday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea in response to attacks on Israeli cargo ships. Participating nations include the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain. The Yemeni resistance vowed to attack any ships joining the US-led maritime coalition.

The Yemeni Military insisted that it is exclusively targeting Israeli-linked ships or ones heading to Israeli ports and that the Red Sea remains safe for navigation for all other vessels,

White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson on Friday accused Iran of being "deeply involved" in planning operations against vessels in the Red Sea. Iran has rejected these accusations, denying any involvement in the Yemeni operations.

During a press conference on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters that the spillover effects of the war on Gaza are already happening.

"The spillover is already happening," he told reporters.