The Yemen-based Houthi rebels launched their first attack on a commercial shipping vessel transiting the Red Sea in several months over the weekend, raising concerns that it could be the first in a new wave of such attacks.

The Magic Seas shipping vessel was about 50 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, when several small vessels opened fire with small arms and self-propelled grenades, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization. The crew had to be evacuated from the ship as it took on water due to the damage it sustained in the attack.

Recommended Stories

• Despite halting weapons shipments, Trump insists the US is helping Ukraine ‘a lot’ after ‘disappointing’ call with Putin
• Markwayne Mullin credits Trump for military recruitment and retention
• Hegseth details resolve of B-2 bomber pilots in Operation Midnight Hammer: ‘Respect the hell out of’ them

This was the first time the Houthis targeted a commercial vessel transiting the Red Sea since December 2024, though they began such attacks in November 2023, shortly after the start of the Israel–Hamas war.

The United States began a broad and intensified aerial campaign against the Houthis in March 2025. The mission lasted less than two months and ended with both sides agreeing to a ceasefire. The U.S. agreed to stop targeting the Houthis in exchange for the Houthis to stop attacking vessels.

The attack on the Magic Seas raises questions about whether the ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis will collapse and whether the Houthis can conduct subsequent operations.

A day after the U.S. began its military campaign against the Houthis, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “This campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence,” adding, “The minute the Houthis say, ‘We’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end. But until then, it will be unrelenting.”

While the U.S. carried out a significant operation against the Houthis, they knocked down multiple U.S. drones and forced the loss of two U.S. fighter jets that fell off U.S. aircraft carriers in the region.

Hegseth acknowledged after the ceasefire had been agreed upon that the Houthis were “not completely destroyed.”

The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on merchant vessels since they started, including sinking two ships, kidnapping the crew of another, and killing four sailors. The attacks pushed shipping companies to reconsider sending vessels through the Red Sea, and they had the ships go on a more expensive, longer route around the Cape of Good Hope.

Houthi leaders said their attacks were done in solidarity with Palestinians.

They largely stopped their attacks on commercial vessels, though the Houthis and the U.S. had regular military engagements.

Simultaneously, the Houthis and Israelis have exchanged tit-for-tat aerial attacks and did so again over the weekend.

The Israeli military said it struck multiple Houthi-controlled ports it said the Houthis use to receive Iranian weapons. Israel also targeted the Galaxy Leader vessel, which the Houthis had commandeered in the Red Sea, and they took the crew members hostage for more than a year before releasing them.

The Israelis alleged the Houthis had outfitted the ship with a “radar system to track international vessels for terror operations.”

The Houthis then responded with a missile attack on Israel, which the military said it attempted to intercept. The Israeli military said it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but it’s unclear if it was successful in that. No injuries have been reported.

“We are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation, to confront hostile warplanes and to counter attempts to break the naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy,” said Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthis.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch more strikes.

“What’s true for Iran is true for Yemen,” he said in a statement. “Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.”

Israel and Iran engaged in a nearly two-week war in June, and it was the most direct and sustained confrontation between the two nations. Israel launched the initial attack, arguing Iran had made the decision to pursue a nuclear weapon. Israel killed several key Iranian scientists and military leaders and hit the country’s nuclear program, while the U.S. targeted three of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

WHERE THE CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS STAND AHEAD OF TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING

Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, many of which were intercepted by Israel and U.S. air defenses, but some did get through those defenses.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with President Donald Trump Monday evening at the White House. The president has said he wants to see Israel agree to a ceasefire with Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza and come up with a long-term deal with Iran for the security of the region.