On Monday, two commercial ships reported being hit in two separate attacks off the coast of Yemen, according to two British maritime security agencies.

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) said that it was informed by the captain of a commercial ship that it was “hit by unknown projectiles” before a “third explosion occurred in its vicinity,” 70 nautical miles northwest of the port of Al-Salif, located in the Al-Salif Governorate. Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen, which is under the control of the Yemeni “Houthi” group.

The authority, which is run by the British Royal Forces, indicated that “damage control is currently underway.” She drew attention to “no casualties on board the ship heading to the next port,” according to Agence France-Presse.

For its part, the British maritime security company Ambrey reported that the tanker was flying the Panama flag, suggesting that it was “targeted because of the company’s (owner or operator) connection to a ship visiting Israeli ports.”

Embry indicated that military authorities in the region confirmed that the projectiles that hit the ship were missiles.

In a separate attack, the Authority reported that it had received a report from another commercial ship about being “hit by a drone” 58 nautical miles west of Hodeidah, noting that “there were no casualties on board the ship heading to the next port.”

Embry indicated that this ship, as reported by Agence France-Presse, “is not among the Houthis’ declared target bank.”

No party has so far claimed responsibility for the two attacks, but they come in the context of repeated attacks carried out by the Houthis since November on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Iranian-backed Houthis say that they are launching these attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging a war against Hamas after the latter’s attack on its territory on October 7.

The Houthi attacks prompted some shipping companies to circumvent South Africa to avoid crossing the Red Sea, a vital route through which 12 percent of global trade passes.

Washington leads an international maritime coalition with the aim of “protecting” maritime navigation in this strategic region.

To try to deter them, American and British forces have launched strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen since January 12. The US Army alone carries out strikes from time to time on missile platforms and drones that it says are prepared for launch.