DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A missile fired from territory controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen missed a container ship traveling through the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday, a U.S. defense official said The latest attack threatened shipping in the crucial strait of maritime choke point.

In the attack, the missile landed harmlessly in the water near the Maersk Gibraltar, a Hong Kong-flagged container ship traveling from Salalah, Oman, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. The official’s comments came after the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors shipping routes in the Middle East, issued an alert warning of an incident in the strait that separates East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Maersk Gibraltar was also radioed by “a unit claiming to be the ‘Yemeni Navy’ before the missile was fired at the ship,” private intelligence firm Ambrey said. “The ‘Yemeni Navy’ asked the ship to change course and head for Yemen. Ambrey assessed the unit as “Houthis.”

Maersk, one of the world’s largest shippers, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Thursday’s attack is just the latest in sea strikes attributed to the Houthis as part of their pressure campaign over the war between Israel and Hamas raging in the Gaza Strip.

Two missiles fired from Houthi territory missed a commercial tanker loaded with Indian-made jet fuel near the key Bab el-Mandeb strait on Wednesday. Also near the strait on Monday evening, a rocket fired by Houthi rebels struck a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have carried out a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and fired drones and missiles at Israel. In recent days they have threatened to attack any ship they believe is traveling to or from Israel, even though several of the ships attacked had no apparent connection.

Global shipping has come under increasing scrutiny as the war between Israel and Hamas threatens to become a larger regional conflict – even during a brief lull in fighting in which Hamas exchanged hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The collapse of the ceasefire and the resumption of a tough Israeli ground offensive and air strikes on Gaza have increased the risk of further sea attacks.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is only 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound deliveries. Almost 10% of all oil traded at sea flows through it. An estimated $1 trillion worth of goods are transported through the strait annually.

In November, Houthis captured an Israeli-linked vehicle transport ship in the Red Sea off Yemen. The rebels are still holding the ship near the port city of Hodeida. In addition, a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire was attacked in the Indian Ocean by a suspected Iranian drone.

A separate, tentative ceasefire between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition fighting on behalf of Yemen’s government-in-exile has held for months despite that country’s long war. That raises concerns that a major conflict at sea – or a possible retaliatory strike by Western forces – could reignite tensions in the Arab world’s poorest country.