Our protective effort is failing and flailing," David Asher, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, wrote in a statement, referring to the escalating attacks on commercial vessels by Iran-backed Houthis across the southern Red Sea, critical Bab el-Mandeb maritime chokepoint and the Gulf of Aden. 

Our biggest takeaway this week after speaking with several commodity research firms and risk analysts about the evolving situation in the Red Sea is attacks are only increasing from here as there's no immediate end to the Israeli-Hamas war this summer. 

Making headlines in recent days has been the sinking of commodity-hauling bulk carrier "Tutor." The significance of this Houthi attack marked the first time a ship was hit by an uncrewed surface vessel packed with explosives. 

On Wednesday evening, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree provided a never-before-seen view of the attack on Tutor, which shows the drone boat slamming into the stern of the vessel, producing a massive explosion. Also, an anti-ship missile appeared to have struck the center point of the hull.