Global shipping giants halt Red Sea operations after Houthi attacks

Two of the world's largest shipping firms, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have said they were suspending passage through a Red Sea strait vital for global commerce after Yemeni rebel attacks in the area.

German transport company Hapag-Lloyd said on Friday that it was halting Red Sea container ship traffic until December 18 after the Houthis attacked one of its vessels.

"Hapag-Lloyd is interrupting all container ship traffic across the Red Sea until Monday," the company said in a statement sent to AFP.

The Danish firm Maersk made a similar announcement a little earlier.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognised internationally, say they're targeting shipping to pressure Israel during its two-month-old war in besieged Gaza.

Strategic oil, gas route

Later in the day, during a pro-Palestinian rally in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the rebels said they attacked two other ships in the area.

"Container ships MSC Palatium and MSC Alanya were targeted by two naval missiles as they were heading toward the Israeli entity," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a broadcast on the rebels' television channel.

Saree said the attack came after the ship's crew "refused to respond to the calls of the Yemeni naval services" and that it was intended as retaliation for the "oppression of the Palestinian people".

The attack on the Al Jasrah occurred near Bab al Mandab, the narrow strait between Yemen and northeast Africa, through which around 20,000 ships pass annually.

The area leads to the Red Sea, Israel's southern port facilities and the Suez Canal, making it part of a strategic route for Gulf oil and natural gas shipments.

'Axis of resistance'

In a statement posted on December 9 on social media, the Houthis said they "will prevent the passage" of ships heading to Israel — regardless of ownership — if food and medicine are not allowed into besieged Gaza.

On Tuesday, they claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a Norwegian-flagged tanker.

Iran's Defence Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani warned on Wednesday against the possible deployment of multinational forces in the Red Sea, which he said would lead to "extraordinary problems", the ISNA news agency said.

The Houthis have declared themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran-affiliated groups.

Western warships are patrolling the area and have shot down Houthi missiles and drones several times.