Yemen Houthi rebels claim Red Sea attack as shipping prices soar

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the latest attack Wednesday on a merchant ship in the Red Sea, as the vessel's operator sharply raised prices between Asia and Europe.

The Iran-backed rebels, who have launched more than 20 attacks on merchant ships in recent weeks, said they attacked the Malta-flagged freighter believing it was headed for occupied Palestinian territory. The ship was not hit.

The Houthis, who control much of impoverished Yemen and have been fighting a civil war since 2014, say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians because of Israel's war on Hamas.

"The naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out an operation targeting the ship CMA CGM TAGE which was travelling towards the ports of occupied Palestine," said a Huthi statement published on X, formerly Twitter.

The Houthi attacks, centred on the Red Sea's Bab al-Mandeb southern chokepoint, have disrupted shipping in a waterway that carries about 12 percent of global trade.

After the latest attack, French operator CMA CGM announced a big hike in prices, with a 40-foot container between Asia and the western Mediterranean doubling from $3,000 to $6,000.

Italian-Swiss company MSC has also raised prices as ships are diverted around southern Africa rather than traverse the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal.

On Tuesday, Danish shipping giant Maersk extended a suspension of services through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, "until further notice".

The Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles toward merchant ships near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait late on Tuesday, the U.S. military said earlier.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations had initially reported explosions near a cargo ship sailing between the coasts of Eritrea and Yemen.

"Master reports no damage to the vessel and crew are reported safe at present," the agency, run by Britain's Royal Navy, said in a brief message.

None of the commercial ships nearby reported any damage, the US Central Command said, adding that it was the 24th attack since November 19 against commercial shipping in the area.

"These illegal actions endangered the lives of dozens of innocent mariners and continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce," CENTCOM said on X.

The Houthis have warned they will target ships in the Red Sea that have links to Israel. Several of their missiles and drones have been shot down by U.S., French and British warships.

In response to the attacks, the US has set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.

On Sunday, the U.S. military said it had sunk three Houthi boats following attacks on a Maersk container ship. The rebels said 10 of their fighters were killed in the incident.