Dubai, Nov 25 (AP) A private security firm says a mine has exploded and damaged an oil tanker off Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea near the border with Yemen.

The explosion damaged the MT Agrari, a Maltese-flagged, Greek-managed oil tanker off the coast of Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia.

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Ambrey, a British firm, reported the blast. The ship's operators referred The Associated Press to a spokesman who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The explosion comes after a cruise missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck an oil facility in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia.

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The Saudi-led coalition reported Tuesday that it removed and destroyed five Iranian-made naval mines planted by the Houthis in the southern Red Sea, condemning the attempted attacks as posing “a serious threat to maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab strait.” The Houthis have not commented on the allegations. Saudi Arabia did not immediately acknowledge the blast.

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis since March 2015. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)