Commercial cargo ships heading to Israel are attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea (Getty)

The Ambry Maritime Security Agency said that a cargo tanker owned by a Greek company and flying the flag of the Marshall Islands reported detecting a projectile near it northeast of Khor Anjar in Djibouti and 40 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Mokha.

The Embrey Agency added that it had received information indicating that the tanker was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents within twenty minutes.

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority announced in the early morning hours of Monday that it had received a report about an accident involving a ship 40 nautical miles south of the city of Mokha in Yemen.

According to the updated advisory note issued by the Authority, the ship reported being attacked by two missiles, but the crew is in good condition and the ship is currently heading to its next port.

The Houthi military spokesman announced that the American ship Star Iris in the Red Sea was targeted with missiles, and said that the attack resulted in direct hits.

The military spokesman reiterated his confirmation that the Houthis will continue their operations against Israeli ships until the aggression against Gaza is stopped.

Many ships have recently been subjected to attacks off the coast of Yemen in the southern Red Sea, which has led to many companies avoiding using the Red Sea corridor, and choosing longer and more expensive alternative routes around Africa.

This comes in the context of the escalation that the region witnessed after the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip more than 4 months ago.

On February 2, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority reported its knowledge of increased activity for marches within 30 nautical miles west of the city of Hodeidah in Yemen.

Since the beginning of last December, the Houthi group has claimed responsibility for targeting 20 ships in the areas of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, using missiles and drones, as part of its measures to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to Israeli ports from passing.

For its part, American and British forces launched three waves of strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen since January 12. American forces alone, from time to time, strike missiles that are said to be prepared for launch.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies