Yemen's Houthi rebel group says it has launched a drone strike targeting the Israeli port city of Eilat.
At the same time, the Houthis said that they would attack a commercial ship in the Red Sea.
The Iran-backed Houthis have stepped up such attacks as a way to pressure Israel to end the ongoing war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said on Tuesday that they had carried out drone strikes on the Israeli port city of Eilat and other areas in Israeli-occupied Palestine.
Military spokesman Yahya added that after the Houthis ignored three warning signals, they fired missiles at an MSC United ship in the Red Sea.
Ownership company MSC Mediterranean confirmed that the vessel, MSC United VIII, was attacked yesterday. But the ship's crew is safe.
The ship was on its way to Karachi, Pakistan from King Abdullah Port in Saudi Arabia.
The shipping company also said it was reviewing the incident. Besides, they reported the incident to the US-led naval coalition in the Red Sea.
Hours before the statement from MSC Mediterranean about the attack, a UK maritime safety agency said it had received reports of something happening to a ship off the coast of Yemen. Several drones have been spotted. An explosion was heard.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said yesterday that the incident occurred about 60 nautical miles outside the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The incidents took place yesterday amid widespread tension in the Red Sea. The Houthis, in solidarity with the Palestinians, have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea for weeks.
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