[BREAKING] A terror drone hit a vessel west of India (Not the Red Sea), for the first time
British Merchant Shipping Agency: An incident of a drone attack, which caused an explosion and a fire, took place near Worabal in India - far from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The incident happened in the Arabian Sea about 200 nautical miles south-west of Veraval in India at 6:07 AM UTC on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a social media post. The fire has been extinguished, and no casualties were reported. "The authorities are investigating," UKMTO said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claim they can shut down the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

🔶️ “They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of) Gibraltar and other waterways,” Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, coordinating commander of the Guards, as saying.

🔶️ Iran has no direct access to the Mediterranean itself and it was not clear how the Guards could attempt to close it off, although Naqdi talked of “the birth of new powers of resistance and the closure of other waterways.”

🔶️ “Yesterday, the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz became a nightmare for them, and today they are trapped … in the Red Sea,” Naqdi was quoted as saying.

CENTCOM Statement on Red Sea Attacks

🔶️ On December 23 two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen. No ships reported being impacted by the ballistic missiles.

🔶️ Between 3 and 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), the USS LABOON (DDG 58) was patrolling in the Southern Red Sea as part of Operation PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) and shot down four unmanned aerial drones originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that were inbound to the USS LABOON. There were no injuries or damage in this incident.

🔶️ At approximately 8 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Naval Forces Central Command received reports from two ships in the Southern Red Sea that they were under attack. The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone with no injuries or damage reported. A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone with no injuries reported. The USS LABOON (DDG 58) responded to the distress calls from these attacks. These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17.