Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched a violent new wave of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, sinking two vessels and killing crew members.

Video released by the Houthi media center shows the bulk carrier ‘Magic Seas’ being attacked and later sinking in the Iran-backed rebel group’s first attack this year on a commercial shipping vessel in the Red Sea.

The attack on the Eternity C, which killed at least three of the crew, represents the most serious assault carried out by the Houthis in the crucial maritime trade route.