Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday that they conducted four military operations targeting four ships in the Red, Arabian and Mediterranean Seas as well as the Indian Ocean, which they said were "linked to the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel", Reuters reported. In the first operation, "Israeli ship MSC Unific was targeted in the Arabian Sea," Yahya Sarea, the Yemeni group's spokesperson said. "A US oil tanker Delonix" was also targeted in a second operation that was carried out in the Red Sea "for the second time this week," he added. The third operation targeted "U.K. landing ship Anvil Point in the Indian Ocean" and a fourth operation in the Mediterranean Sea targeted a ship that Sarea identified as the "Lucky Sailor", he claimed. The claims could not be verified. The Iranian-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region since November, in what they say are attacks in solidarity with Palestinian Arabs in Gaza. Last week, the Houthis said they had used a new ballistic missile to hit the MSC Sarah V vessel in the Arabian Sea. Previously, Al Jazeera TV published footage showing an attack by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea against the MV Tutor ship. The Houthis had claimed that the ship was attacked because its owner ignored warnings not to sail to Israeli ports. 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. Related articles: US transfers THAAD missile defense system to Israel UAV approaching Israeli territory intercepted by the IAF Iran pulling forces from Yemen amid heightened US pressure US targets Russia network aiding Houthis with arms, grain In mid-January, with support from other countries, the US and Britain targeted just under 30 Houthi locations with 150 different weapons. They have since carried out several rounds of strikes against Houthi targets. 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.
