Aug. 5 (UPI) — An Indian cargo ship has sunk after being struck by a projectile off Yemen, officials said, raising concerns that the Middle East war’s maritime front is expanding.

It was unclear who launched the projectile, but the vessel, identified as the MSV Faize Noore Oliya, was hit in the Red Sea off Hodeidah, a port controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis.

The attack occurred amid a Houthi-declared maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea.

All 14 sailors on the ship were safely rescued by the Yemeni Coast Guard and transported to the Port of Mokha, India’s minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said in a statement Tuesday.

Of the 14 sailors rescued, 13 were Indian. Their condition was not known.

“India strongly condemns this unprovoked attack on the defenseless mechanized sailing vessel,” he said, adding that he instructed the director general of the Maritime Administration to coordinate with all relevant agencies to ensure the “absolute security of Indian seafarers in the region and provide all necessary assistance to the rescued crew.”

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a separate statement that its embassy in Riyadh was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Yemeni authorities concerning the safety and security of the crew.

While no group has yet claimed responsibility, the Yemen government-aligned National Resistance Forces has blamed the Houthis.

“The Houthis targeting today of the Indian ship is an extension of their terrorist behavior directed against the Yemeni people,” Maj. Gen. Sadiq Dwaid, spokesperson for the National Resistance Forces, said in an online statement.

“They have previously targeted oil export ports — the main source of salaries for state employees — and Yemeni ports in general, as well as commercial ships, and their support and management of piracy operations in collaboration with the pirates of the African Horn.”

The Houthis, who are locked in a civil war against the internationally recognized Yemeni government, imposed their blockade on July 20, specifically preventing Saudi Arabian ships from transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Iran-backed militia accuses Saudi Arabia of laying an “unjust and oppressive siege” against it by supporting the Yemeni government in the civil war.

The Houthis have struck at least two Saudi tankers since. If the Houthis are confirmed to have carried out the attack, it would be the first known strike on a non-Saudi vessel since they declared their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20.

It also comes as Iran has been enforcing a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is on the northeastern side of Saudi Arabia.