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A ship was attacked in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen by armed men firing guns and launching rocket-propelled grenades, reports AP, quoting a British military. According to the report, no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as tensions remain high in the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war and after the Iran-Israel war and the airstrikes by the United States targeting Iranian nuclear sites.

According to the report, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that an armed security team on the ship had returned fire and that the situation is ongoing. It described the attack as happening some 100 kilometres southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the country’s Houthi rebels.

“Authorities are investigating,” it said, as quoted by AP.

A maritime security firm, Ambrey, issued a warning saying that a merchant ship had been “attacked by eight skiffs while transiting northbound in the Red Sea.” 

According to the report, the US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet referred questions to the military’s Central Command, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Houthi rebels have been continuously launching missile and drone attacks against the commercial and military ships in the region in what the group’s leadership has described as an effort to end Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The group’s al-Masirah satellite news channel acknowledged the attack occurred. However, it offered no comment on it as it aired a speech by its secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi.

Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones between November 2023 and January 2025, sinking two and killing four sailors. 

The Houthis paused the attack in a self-imposed ceasefire until the US launched an assault against the rebels in mid-March. It ended weeks later, and the Houthis haven’t attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.