YEMEN, Dec 16: In response to recent attacks by Yemeni rebels in the Red Sea region, two major global shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have suspended passage through a crucial Red Sea strait vital for international commerce.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who exert control over a significant portion of Yemen without international recognition, have claimed responsibility for these attacks, stating that they aim to exert pressure on Israel amid its ongoing two-month conflict with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

German transport company Hapag-Lloyd declared a halt in Red Sea container ship traffic until Monday after one of its vessels was attacked by the Houthis. Similarly, Danish firm Maersk instructed all its vessels in the region to pause their journey through the Bab al-Mandab Strait until further notice.

The decision follows a series of incidents, including a near-miss involving Maersk Gibraltar and an attack on a Hapag-Lloyd cargo ship in the Red Sea on Friday. The attacked vessel was identified as the Liberia-flagged Al-Jasrah, a 368-meter container ship built in 2016.

A US defense official confirmed that a drone launched from a Houthi-controlled region struck the Al-Jasrah, causing a fire that was successfully extinguished. Hapag-Lloyd reported the attacked ship, en route from the Greek port of Piraeus to Singapore, sustained no casualties and continued its journey.

During a pro-Palestinian rally in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, the rebels claimed to have attacked two other ships, MSC Palatium and MSC Alanya, heading toward Israel.

The Houthis stated that the attacks were in retaliation for the "oppression of the Palestinian people," emphasizing their intent to prevent the passage of ships to Israel if food and medicine were not allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip.

This escalation in maritime tensions raises concerns about the potential spread of the Gaza conflict. The attacked area near Bab al-Mandab is a strategic route for Gulf oil and natural gas shipments, leading to the Red Sea, Israel's southern port facilities, and the Suez Canal. Western warships are patrolling the region in response to previous Houthi missile and drone activities.