On Friday, 24 May, Houthi rebels claimed targeting containership MSC Alexandra as part of a recent attack on three ships in the Middle East.

According to a Reuters report, the attack was launched against vessels in the Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Arabian Sea.

While the liner's website did not confirm the attack, vessel tracking data on seaexplorer shows MSC Alexandra in the Persian Gulf near Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The 14,000 TEU vessel is deployed on MSC's Dragon service, which connects Asian ports, including Shanghai and Singapore, with ports in the Mediterranean, Gioia Tauro, and Fos-sur-Mer.

About the attack in the Mediterranean, the Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea said they targeted the Essex, a tanker managed by the Israeli-linked group Zodiac Maritime.

A Zodiac Maritime spokesperson told Reuters, "The vessel is safely at anchor in Egyptian waters, and there has been no sign of anything unusual."

Earlier this month, the leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, asserted they would target all ships bound for Israeli ports and not only vessels in the Red Sea region.