Yemen's Houthi rebels claim attack on bulk carrier Magic Seas in the Red Sea

The attack on the Liberian-flagged Magic Seas raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel's military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who responded with missile fire targeting Israel.

The strikes came after the Houthis attacked a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. On Monday afternoon, the claimed the attack, which saw missiles and explosive-carrying drone boats set the vessel ablaze in the Red Sea.

The Magic Seas attack raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.

The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also was traveling to Washington to meet with Trump.