ADEN, Yemen, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A merchant vessel was attacked by multiple rocket-propelled grenades fired from small craft off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah, according to reports by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) on Monday.

UKMTO said in an early statement that it received multiple third-party reports of the incident occurring 51 nautical miles west of the port city.

In a subsequent update, UKMTO reported that the vessel's company security officer confirmed the ship had been struck by five rocket-propelled grenades and was being approached by multiple small craft.

The fresh attack occurred hours after the announcement of the complete sinking of another commercial vessel, MAGIC SEAS, that had been struck by Houthi forces on Sunday.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a Monday statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the attack on MAGIC SEAS was a response to the shipowner's "repeated violations" of the Houthi ban on entry to Israeli ports.

The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, have been targeting Israel since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. ■