DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> A Liberian-flagged cargo ship came under fire Monday in the Red Sea, with two security guards on board reportedly hurt and two others missing in an assault that followed Yemen’s Houthi rebels purportedly sinking another vessel in a similar attack.

The assault on the vessel followed the Houthis saying another ship, the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Magic Seas, sank Monday after being attacked with drones, missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire Sunday, forcing its crew of 22 to abandon the vessel.

The two attacks and a round of Israeli airstrikes early Monday targeting the rebels raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.

The attacks comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also traveled to Washington to meet with Trump.

Ship attacks strike Red Sea

The private security firm Ambrey reported the latest attack Monday night in the Red Sea, offering the details on the hurt and missing security guards. It said the vessel had been heading north toward the Suez Canal when it came under fire by men in small boats and by bomb-carrying drones. The security guards on board had opened fire in the attack.

“The vessel’s engines had reportedly been disabled and Ambrey observed that the vessel had started to drift,” the firm said.

There were no other immediate details on the attack, which also was acknowledged by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel noted the attack, but the rebels didn’t claim the assault.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it was aware of reports of the attack, but declined to comment further.

The attack Sunday on the Magic Seas, another bulk carrier heading north to Egypt’s Suez Canal, happened about 60 miles southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, held by the Houthis. That’s the same area of the attack Monday night.

The UKMTO first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, although the vessel later was struck by projectiles. The UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.

A European Union anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship.

“Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas ... until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,” Saree said.

The Magic Seas’ owners didn’t respond to a request for comment. Saree later said the vessel had sank Monday in the Red Sea.

Israeli strikes target ports

The Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports early Monday at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area.

“These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,” the Israeli military said.

The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the Israeli military said.