Context: British maritime security agency UKMTO reported explosions late Tuesday near a cargo ship in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.
About Bab al-Mandab Strait
It is a strait that connects the Red Sea (northwest) with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean (southeast).
It is located between Arabia (northeast) and Africa (southwest).
It is an important strategic connection in the marine commerce route connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
It is one of the world's most important seaborne commodity shipping routes, primarily for crude oil and petroleum.
Yemen borders it on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea border it on the African coast.