Three commercial ships were attacked this Sunday in the Red Sea

Three commercial ships were attacked this Sunday in the Red Sea.

The cargo ships were targeted by drones and missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, the Pentagon said.

Rebel forces claimed responsibility for a drone and missile attack on just two Israeli ships, the Unity Explorer and the Number 9, in the Bab-el-Mandab Strait.

The Unity Explorer, a Bahamas-flagged ship, was hit by a missile and suffered minor damage in the northern Red Sea.

Further south, two Panamanian cargo ships, the Number 9 and the Sophie II, were hit by missiles.

Israel assured that none of the ships were Israeli and accused Iran of being behind the actions of Yemeni rebels.

The Houthis are compromising the security of navigation between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, Israel and the United States also accused.

The USS Carney, an American warship stationed in the Red Sea, attempted to rescue cargo ships and neutralized at least three drones launched from Yemen.

Houthi rebels declared war on Israel following the conflict with Hamas in Gaza and have attacked Israeli targets with dozens of missiles and drones since October.

These attacks in the Red Sea increase the risk that the conflict in Gaza will ignite the region.