The Belize-flagged Rubymar was the first vessel to be fully destroyed as part of the rebels' campaign over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

China's charting its own course, distancing itself from the U.S. in the Middle East, refusing to condemn the Houthis and looking to capitalize on ties with regional players to help solve the crisis.

Shipping experts hope lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal disruption in 2021 and Somali pirate attacks more than a decade ago will mitigate widespread problems this time.

The strikes were launched from the Red Sea and hit more than a dozen sites. They follow an announcement that the U.S. has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists.

Drones and missiles targeted shipping in the sea, but ships from the U.S. and British navies shot down the projectiles. No damage was reported. The rebels say they aim to stop Israel's war on Hamas.

Hours before the attack on the container ship, the U.S. military said it had shot down two missiles fired toward the same ship

The U.S. and other nations are creating a force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, as well as launching drones and missiles targeting Israel as it wages war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.