Ship on fire after Houthi attack (archive)
Ship on fire after Houthi attack (archive)Reuters/EYEPRESS Images

Yemen's Houthi rebels announced on Monday that they launched three separate operations targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, Reuters reported.

The group's military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at the vessel Motaro in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

In addition, Sarea claimed that the Maersk Kowloon was targeted by a missile in the Arabian Sea, while the SC Montreal was struck by two drones.

The claims come a day after the Houthis published footage from a military drill they had carried out, which combined land and naval forces and simulated a large-scale attack against Yemen.

According to the Houthis, the drill was carried out on the east coast of Yemen, and is said to have been part of a campaign that the Houthis are waging "for Gaza and for Lebanon".

The Iranian-backed Houthis have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza last October, having launched drones towards Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.

In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.

The Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes, saying that the campaign against the "Zionist enemy" will continue and that the attacks against the American and British ships will not stop.