In a statement, the rebels said they had carried out a "military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity".

They identified them as the Swan Atlantic and the MSC Clara, saying they were targeted after refusing to respond to calls.

Yemen's Huthi rebels have launched a flurry of drone and missile attacks on vessels entering the Red Sea, aimed at pressuring Israel over its devastating war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Five major shipping firms, including two of the world's largest, have said they are rerouting their vessels away from the Red Sea.

On Monday, British oil giant BP became the latest to suspend transit.

In the statement, the Huthis vowed to "continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports... from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas" until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.

But the Swan Atlantic's owner, Norway's Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement that the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.

It said the vessel has "no Israeli link" and was managed by a Singaporian firm.

It added there were no injuries among the Indian crew and the vessel sustained only limited damage.

"The crew and the ship are now being assisted by the US Navy and will be brought to safety under protection by naval forces," it said.

Monday's attack took place as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin visited Bahrain, home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, as part of a Middle East tour that will also take him to Qatar.

In Manama, he was to discuss "US efforts to convene multilateral coalitions to respond to aggression at sea that threatens shipping and the global economy," a Pentagon statement said at the weekend.

On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones in the Red Sea launched from rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military said.

And the British government said one of its destroyers had also brought down a suspected attack drone in the area.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said that neutral Oman had launched mediation efforts to safeguard shipping using the waterway.

"Under the sponsorship of our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, communication and discussion continue with a number of international parties regarding operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea," he said on X, formerly Twitter.

The Gaza war broke out when its rulers Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people and kidnapping some 250, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Gaza's health ministry says Israel's military response has killed more than 19,450 people, mostly women and children.