The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre announced that a cargo ship sent an emergency message 30 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, Yemen, and said it had been targeted by unknown attackers. According to this alert, authorities are investigating the incident and ships have been asked to exercise caution when transiting through this area and report any suspicious activity. The incident took place in the Red Sea and near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait—an area that, alongside the Strait of Hormuz, has in recent months become one of the main pressure points of the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces on commercial shipping. The United States had previously warned that Iran-backed Houthi forces remain a threat to commercial ships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden.