NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: The Indian Navy said on Thursday it had rescued the crew of a US-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after an attack by Yemen’s Houthi movement as tensions in the region’s sea lanes disrupted global trade.

Following the attack on the US Genco Picardy late on Wednesday, the US military said its forces had conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region”.

Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in and around the Red Sea since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers in an escalation of the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to target US ships in response to American and British strikes on the group’s positions.

The strategy pursued by US President Joe Biden - a blend of limited military strikes and sanctions - appears aimed at preventing a wider Middle East conflict even as Washington seeks to punish the Houthis, security and military experts say.