DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Crew members aboard a Liberian-flagged ship set ablaze by a series of attacks in the Red Sea abandoned the vessel Sunday night as it took on water, marking the first serious assault in the vital corridor for trade after a monthslong campaign by Yemen’s Houthi rebels there.

Sunday’s attack comes against a backdrop of soaring regional tensions following the Israel-Hamas war, airstrikes by the United States on Iranian nuclear sites, and a brief Iran-Israel conflict

Initial reports suggested that the unidentified vessel was later struck by suspected bomb-laden boats, which triggered a fire on board.