Yemen's Houthis rebels committed two attacks against commercial shipping in the Southern Red Sea on Monday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
"The chemical/oil tanker motor vessel SWAN ATLANTIC was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen ... At approximately the same time, the bulk cargo ship M/V CLARA reported an explosion in the water near their location. This attack is separate from the attack on the M/V SWAN ATLANTIC," it added.
There were no injuries reported during either incident, CENTCOM said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea during a conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Blinken also urged cooperation among all the United States' partners to uphold maritime security, according to the State Department.
The statement said that Blinken also "stressed the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing the further spread of the conflict."
Earlier on Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin officially announced that the US and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships that have come under attack in the Red Sea by drones and ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the US in the new mission, Austin announced. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have upped their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas was on October 7.
Last week, the Houthi rebels threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine were allowed into the Gaza Strip.
Two days later, the Houthis launched a land-based cruise missile towards a Norwegian commercial tanker vessel.
A senior Houthi official then warned cargo ships in the Red Sea to avoid traveling toward “occupied Palestinian territories”.
Last Thursday, the Houthis claimed they carried out a military operation against a Maersk container vessel, directly hitting it with a drone, but did not provide evidence for the claim.
A day later, Maersk and German company Hapag-Lloyd announced they would temporarily halt operations in the Red Sea. On Saturday, two more major shipping firms, Mediterranean Shipping Company and CMA CGM, announced they were suspending passage through the Red Sea due to Houthi rebel attacks in the area.