A merchant vessel has been damaged in a missile strike in the Red Sea off Yemen, marine security monitors said. This comes as the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels threatened to expand their attacks on shipping which have disrupted global trade. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians and against Israel’s continuing war on Gaza. Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around Southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilize the wider Middle East.