Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they attacked three ship in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, attacks they called part of their efforts to impose a naval blockade on Israel, reports "Reuters".
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sariyah said in a televised address that the ships were targeted because they tried to approach ports linked to Israel.
According to the latest data from the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), all three ships targeted were registered in Liberia.
One of the ships, identified by the Houthis as the "Motaro", was last seen off Yemen's west coast in the Red Sea, en route from Egypt's Suez Canal to Shanghai, according to LSEG.
Another ship, the SC Montreal, was reportedly attacked in the Arabian Sea while traveling from Port Victoria, Seychelles to Salalah, Oman.
The third ship, the Maersk Kowloon, was tracked by LSEG in the western Indian Ocean, also en route from Salalah.
Earlier on Monday, British maritime security firm Ambrey reported two explosions near a merchant ship traveling southwest of Yemen's Al Dubab.
Ambrey's report followed initial statements by the UK's Maritime Merchant Operations Agency (UKMTO), which received information about three explosions linked to an incident 46 nautical kilometers south of the Yemeni port of Moka, but confirmed that the ship and crew were safe and have continued to the next port.
Yemen's Houthis have said they will continue these actions until Israel halts its offensive against Gaza and Lebanon. This greatly increases the risks to commercial shipping in the region, a critical route for global trade linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.