The Danish shipping company Torm announced today, Friday, the suspension of all transportation operations through the southern Red Sea due to Houthi attacks in Yemen on commercial ships.

A company spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse in an email: “Today, Torm decided to stop all transit operations in the southern Red Sea until further notice.”

The Danish company owns a fleet of about 80 ships, and specializes in transporting petroleum products. The “Storm” announcement comes after an increasing number of attacks launched by the Houthis on what they consider to be ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea. The Houthis say they stand in solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas movement in the war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

It also comes shortly after American and British forces launched air strikes on areas controlled by the Houthi group, at dawn on Friday, which reinforced fears of the expansion of the conflict in the region.

The attacks launched by the Houthi group prompted a number of shipping companies, including the Danish company Maersk, to divert their ships via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

About 12 percent of global maritime trade usually passes through the Bab al-Mandab Strait leading to the southern Red Sea, but the number of containers has decreased by 70 percent since mid-November, according to experts