A British maritime security agency said an explosion was heard Tuesday near a vessel off Yemen, where Houthi rebels have been targeting shipping since the Gaza war began in 2023. Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks targeting shipping through the Red Sea corridor, but did not immediately claim the attack. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods passed each year before the war. The attack on Tuesday came as Israel has intensified its the war, targeting Gaza City with a new ground offensive. Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.