British military reports an explosion off the coast of Yemen in the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A “potential explosion” has struck a key shipping route off the coast of Yemen, the British military said Sunday.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued a brief warning to shippers that the incident happened in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

The UKMTO said drone activity also had been reported in the area.

The Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. That area has seen a series of attacks in recent weeks attributed to Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who have also launched missiles and drones toward Israel over its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the incident.