Six commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, down from nine a day earlier and below the 10-day average of about 12, preliminary shipping data showed on Wednesday. Five vessels were entering the strait and one was exiting, according to initial data from shiptracker Kpler at 0200 GMT. The vessels included one Panamax and one intermediate tanker. The figures remain preliminary because ships sometimes switch off their transponders during voyages. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran intensified on Tuesday, with Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen launching strikes on several Saudi Arabian cities. American forces also hit multiple Iranian oil tankers, while Iran struck a U.S. base in Jordan. Traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another major Middle East maritime chokepoint, also weakened, with 25 commodity vessels recorded on Tuesday against a 10-day average of around 27. Eleven vessels entered and 14 exited; the group included two Suezmax tankers, eight Aframax tankers and one Very Large Crude Carrier.