An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels on a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in the Red Sea killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said Tuesday, highlighting the danger of the group's renewed campaign targeting a key maritime route for international trade.

The Yemeni group, which has not claimed responsibility for the attack, says Israel-linked ships are ‘legitimate target’.

The US embassy in Yemen said Wednesday that the Houthi group kidnapped the crew of a cargo ship in the Red Sea after attacking it. “After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,” the embassy said in a statement on X.