The first suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthis on a commercial vessel this year forced the crew of a Greek-owned cargo ship to abandon their vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday. The attack was followed almost immediately by Israeli strikes on a number of Houthi-held ports in Yemen.

Israel launched targeted airstrikes on Houthi-controlled ports in Yemen following an attack on a Liberian-flagged vessel. This escalation in the Red Sea region raises concerns of greater conflict involving U.