Dubai:

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday said they targeted two tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after a British security agency reported several attacks in the troubled waterway.

In a statement on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree identified the two ships as BENTLEY I, a Panama-flagged oil tanker, and the CHIOS LION, a Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker.

The BENTLEY I was attacked with “drone boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles”, while the CHIOS LION was targeted with uncrewed surface vessels, Saree said.

They were targeted because their owners had used Israeli ports, according to the rebel spokesperson.

Earlier on Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported two separate incidents in the Red Sea.

A ship sailing southwest of the port city of Hodeidah came under attack from three small vessels, two of which had three people each on board, UKMTO said.

The third skiff was unmanned, according to the agency, which is run by Britain’s Royal Navy.

The “unmanned small craft collided with the vessel twice and the two manned small craft fired at the vessel”, UKMTO said.

“After 15 minutes, the small craft aborted the attack. The vessel and crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

The same ship later reported four missiles exploding in “close proximity”, UKMTO said, adding that the strikes did not cause any injuries or damage.

British maritime security firm Ambrey also reported the attack, saying the merchant vessel had a private armed security team on board.

In a separate incident on Monday, an uncrewed surface vessel “impacted” a merchant vessel 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah, UKMTO said.

The attack caused “some damage and light smoke”, it said, adding that “the vessel and crew are reported safe and proceeding to next port of call”.

Houthi drone and missile strikes have taken place despite the deployment of Western naval forces to protect ships in the Red Sea, a vital waterway for global trade.

Since January, the United States and Britain have carried out repeated retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

On Sunday, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed several Houthi drones.

“These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure,” it said in a post on social media platform X.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sanaa, Yemen:

The US-British coalition conducted four airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah province, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strikes hit the Red Sea coastal district of Alluhayah, northwest of the province, al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday, without providing further information.

The US-British coalition has not commented on the airstrikes yet, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Saturday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said it received a report of an incident 126 nautical miles east of Yemen’s Aden.

“The master of a merchant vessel reports explosions in the vicinity of the vessel. The crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” the agency said on its account on social media platform X, without providing further details.

UKMTO DAILY SUMMARY 1600UTC 21 JUNE 24 to 1600UTC 22 JUNE 24https://t.co/lBGHDotJOT#MaritimeSecurity#MarSecpic.twitter.com/msQzfZWS2V

— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) June 22, 2024

On Friday, the US-British coalition said its forces had destroyed four drone boats and two drone aircraft launched by the Houthis to the Red Sea.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began in November last year to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the region has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group, prompting an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)