As the Houthi threat to international shipping grows ever more serious - most recently with the sinking of two Greek vessels, killing three sailors and leaving twelve missing - there has been little substantial reaction from major world powers.

The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea.

In 2023, the Philippine coast guard accused its Chinese counterpart of deploying a high-powered laser against one of its ships near the Philippine-controlled Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, "causing temporary blindness" to some crew members. China routinely denies the accusations.