LONDON, February 19. /TASS/. A merchant ship was attacked 100 nautical miles east of the Yemeni city of Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Coordination Center (UKMTO) of the British Navy said.

UKMTO "has received a report of an incident." This alert is labeled "attacked." The coordination center advised vessels to exercise caution when navigating in the area.

After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement (the Houthis) warned that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory while barring ships associated with the Jewish state from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until Tel Aviv ceased its military operation against Palestinian radical group Hamas in the embattled enclave. Following an increase in attacks on ships, a number of companies, including the Danish transportation corporation AP Moller-Maersk, announced the suspension of transportation in the Red Sea.

In response to the actions of the Yemeni rebel Ansar Allah movement, the US authorities announced the formation of an international coalition and the preparation of Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation and protection of ships in the Red Sea. After that, the US Armed Forces launched strikes against the facilities of the Houthis in a number of Yemeni cities, including Sana'a and Hodeidah. British Air Force aircraft took part in the raids several times.