The Houthis had not attacked a commercial ship in the Red Sea in approximately seven months. That lull ended on Sunday and Monday when two bulk carriers were struck by gunfire, rocket propelled grenades, small boats and drones. Both ships were about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port of Hodeida, Yemen, when attacked.

On Sunday night, the Houthis attacked the 63,000 dwt Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MV Magic Seas. Hit by gunfire, rockets and bomb-laden drone boats, the bulker caught fire and took on water, forcing its 19 crew and three armed guards to abandon ship. The United Arab Emirates said that it had rescued all of those who had been on board the Magic Seas. The bulker was managed by Allseas Marine of Greece

The ship is reported to have sunk. Magic Seas is now the third ship to have been sunk by Hiuthus attack.

A second bulk carrier, the 36,000 dwt MV Eternity C, was attacked with sea drones and skiffs in the Red Sea on Monday leaving two people missing, two injured, and the ship without propulsion. 

The attacks came after Israel’s military escalation  against the Houthis intensified over the weekend, as it launched airstrikes on three key ports—Hodeidah, Ras Isa, and Salif—along with the Ras Kathib power plant and radar equipment on the seized Galaxy Leader vessel docked in Hodeidah.

The strikes, Israel’s first in nearly a month, followed the interception of a missile launched from Yemen earlier that day. In retaliation, the Iran-aligned Houthis fired additional missiles and drones toward Israel, prompting sirens but causing no reported casualties or damage.

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. After a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Jan. 19, the Houthis said they would stop attacks and take on a monitoring role. After the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis held off on resuming Red Sea attacks. The Iran-backed group said it would attack Israeli ships if Israel did not stop its blockade on Gaza, but the group largely held off on its threats.

The Houthis campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks.