The US military earlier said it had destroyed several small boats operated by the Houthis after they had attacked and tried to board a container ship.

One source at the rebel-controlled port said the wounded were rescued following the strike. The other source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were four other survivors.

"Ten Houthis were killed and two were wounded in the US strike on Houthi boats that tried to stop a vessel in the sea off Hodeida," the first source said.

The second source said that "four survivors have arrived in Hodeida with two wounded who were taken to hospital".

The US Navy had responded to a distress call from the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and operated container ship that reported coming under attack for a second time in 24 hours while transiting the Red Sea, the US Central Command said in a statement.

Houthis had fired on US helicopters, who "returned fire in self-defence", sinking three of four small boats that had come within 20 meters of the ship, according to the statement.

Accordingly, shipping giant Maersk said it was suspending the passage of vessels through the Bab al-Mandab Strait for 48 hours, after the attack on the container vessel en route from Singapore to Port Suez in Egypt.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Israeli-linked vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane, demanding Israel stop its aggression on the Palestinians and allow all humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Gaza Strip.

The attacks are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a multinational naval task force earlier this month to protect Red Sea shipping.

The US has said that more than 20 nations are participating, but a number of those nations have not acknowledged it publicly, other countries even denied being part of such task.

Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview.

Currently, there are five warships from the United States, France, and the United Kingdom patrolling the waters of the southern Red Sea and the western Gulf of Aden, said Cooper, who heads the 5th Fleet. Since the operation started, the ships have shot down a total of 17 drones and four anti-ship ballistic missiles, he said.

Just two days ago, the USS Mason, a Navy destroyer, downed a drone and anti-ship ballistic missile that were fired by the Houthis, according to U.S. Central Command.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a grinding war against a Saudi-led coalition that sought to restore the government. The militants have sporadically targeted ships in the region, but the attacks increased since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online