Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Israeli ships?

Australia is considering a US request to help guard ships near Yemen's Red Sea port as Houthi attacks threaten to open another front in the Israel-Hamas War.

Yemen's Houthis announced on Tuesday that they had hit a Norwegian commercial tanker with a missile in their latest protest against Israel's bombardment of Gaza, underlining the risks that the Israel-Hamas conflict will spread further across the Middle East.

The attack is the most serious in a series of escalating assaults on Israeli targets in the Red Sea over the past two months. The group attacked the tanker, the STRINDA, because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.

The US Navy destroyer Mason responded to the STRINDA's distress calls and assisted the crew, which was grappling with a fire, the US military said. Following the attack, Israel’s military said it had deployed one of its most advanced warships, a Sa'ar 6 class corvette, in the Red Sea.

"The actions that we've seen by these Houthis forces are destabilising, they're dangerous," Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told a press conference on Tuesday.

The US has requested Australia send a warship to the Red Sea in response to the Houthis attacks and support an international taskforce to guard ships in the region. Treasurer Jim Chalmers confirmed to the ABC that the government was considering the US request.

"It is important to recognise we already make a contribution to maritime security in that part of the world, often dangerous part of the world. When we get these kinds of requests from time to time, the usual practice would be for the defence minister to consider that," Mr Chalmers said.