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.