Container ships are struck in two attacks by Houthi militants in Yemen along a crucial Red Sea route

Authorities reported a Yemeni Houthi ballistic missile hit a cargo ship Friday in the Red Sea near the key Bab el-Mandeb Strait, hours after another missile hit a different vessel.

The Iranian-backed Houthis' marine campaign escalated with the MSC Palatium III missile attack and the Al Jasrah attack. The strikes also threaten ships transporting freight and energy from the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean for Europe and Asia.

The Houthis said their attacks aim to end Israel's air-and-ground offensive on Gaza in its battle on Hamas. As the rebel attacks continue, links to the ships targeted have weakened.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks, saying, “The Yemeni armed forces confirm they will continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the (Red Sea) until they bring in the food and medicine that our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need.”

After the recent attacks, Maersk, the world's largest shipping corporation, ordered all of its vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to “pause their journey until further notice” on Friday. German shipper Hapag-Lloyd, which operated the Al Jasrah, halted its Red Sea cargo ship traffic until Monday.