A Greek cargo ship was hit by a Houthi missile off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday, a day after a similar attack by Yemeni rebels on a US ship amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and nearby waters, according to AFP.

In recent weeks, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks in the area on ships they believe have ties to Israel, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who have been fighting a war for more than three months since May. between the Islamist movement Hamas and Israel.

The attacks in the sea, which carries 12 percent of world trade, prompted the United States and Britain to attack Yemeni rebels on Friday and Saturday, who retaliated by firing a missile at a U.S. cargo ship on Monday without causing any injuries or serious damage. .

On Tuesday, the Maltese-flagged vessel “was hit by a missile while crossing the southern Red Sea en route to the north,” private maritime risk firm Ambrey said, adding that the cargo had continued on its way.

Earlier in the evening, Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack on the ship, saying they had carried out a “targeted” operation using “several missiles” and warned they would continue attacks “in defense of Yemen and in solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

According to the rebel statement, the ship was en route to Israel when it was targeted off the coast of Yemen after “its crew refused repeated calls (…) and warning messages from (their) naval forces.”

No one was hurt…

A source in the Greek Navy Ministry said the vessel that was fired upon was the Zographia and that it was traveling from Vietnam to Israel with 24 crew members on board.

“It suffered minor damage from the impact,” the same source added, saying the attack took place about 120 kilometers northwest of Yemen, that no Greek sailors were on board and no one was injured.

On Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland), White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States is trying to “create the conditions for de-escalation” in the region after recent US strikes in Yemen.

“We do not seek a regional conflict, under any circumstances,” he said.

The situation in the Red Sea will affect the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) “like all other commercial goods”, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdelrahman Al-Thani warned in Davos.