A cargo vessel reported being approached by a small craft carrying six armed people about 88 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Balhaf on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
There was an exchange of fire between the small craft and the vessel's armed security team, and the craft then turned away, UKMTO added.
Houthis threaten maritime navigation in Red Sea
On Monday, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said that they would ban Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
The military spokesperson for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, announced that a ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea is now in effect, and that any Israeli target will be attacked. He further warned that "escalation will be met with escalation, and our operations will intensify in accordance with developments."
The statement, which came after rocket attacks from the region, took credit for strikes on central Israel, with Saree saying that "under the principle of the 'Unity of the Fronts' and in response to Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza, our forces launched a missile barrage at sensitive targets in 'occupied Jaffa'."