The United States says the episode is unrelated to regional tensions, though it is still investigating the firing of two missiles at the Navy ship involved in the rescue.

A British merchant ship was among three commercial vessels that were attacked by Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea, prompting an American warship to open fire in their defence.Yemeni Houthis claimed attacks on two of the ships that they described as being linked to Israel,

British merchant ship struck by missile in Red Sea attack - The Unity Explorer sustained minor damage according to US military Central Command.

The Israeli military said its forces were confronting Hamas fighters across the Gaza Strip, indicating its planned ground offensive in the enclave's refugee-crowded south had begun as Israeli bombing killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians.

A British-owned commercial vessel passing through the Red Sea and a United States warship deployed off the coast of Yemen have been attacked by Iranian-backed rebels as the war in Israel lurched towards a wider regional conflict.

Three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen on Sunday and a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during the hourslong assault,

A US warship came under attack in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said on Sunday, in an escalation of a series of maritime attacks linked to the Israel-Hamas war.Several other commercial vessels came under fire off the coast of Yemen,