Two ships hit off rebel-held Yemeni region

Two merchant vessels were struck Monday off Yemen's rebel-held Hodeida governorate, a British maritime security agency said, reporting both crews were safe in the aftermath.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the presumed attacks in the area where Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels have targeted ships they say are linked to Israel, in a campaign since November in stated solidarity with Palestinian ally Hamas amid the Gaza war.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency, run by Britain's Royal Navy, said the first vessel reported it was "hit by two unknown projectiles" before "a third explosion occurred nearby".

The maritime security firm Ambrey identified the vessel as a Panama-flagged shuttle tanker which had been targeted "due to company affiliation with a vessel calling Israeli ports".

Ambrey said "military authorities confirmed the projectiles were missiles", without elaborating on the source of its information.

The attack occurred 70 nautical miles northwest of the port of Al-Salif in Yemen's rebel-held Hodeida, UKMTO said, adding that "damage control is underway".

In a separate incident later on Monday, UKMTO said another commercial vessel was struck by a drone 58 nautical miles west of Hodeida.

Ambrey said it assessed the vessel "did not meet the declared Huthi targeting profile".

In both cases, UKMTO said "there are no casualties onboard and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call."

Huthi attacks have disrupted maritime traffic thorough the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, areas that are vital to global trade.

The United States and Britain have struck Huthi targets in Yemen since January, but it has done little to deter the rebels.