SANAA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi armed group on Wednesday claimed it had attacked two warships of the United States and another commercial vessel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, using anti-ship ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones.
"We targeted the Contship Ono vessel in the Red Sea with a number of ballistic missiles and drones, and the hit was accurate," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by the group's TV al-Masirah.
"We targeted the American destroyer (the Houthi identified it as Cole) in the Gulf of Aden with a number of drones, and the operation achieved its goal successfully," said Sarea.
He added that the group "also targeted the American destroyer (the Houthi identified it as Laboon) with a number of ballistic missiles."
"Targeting the two American destroyers came while they were crossing our area of operations towards the northern Red Sea to provide protection for the Israeli enemy," Sarea said.
"We consider all U.S. military movements in our area as hostile movements and will not hesitate to attack them," he said, affirming that his group's attacks would continue until the conflict in Gaza is stopped.
Since November last year, the Houthi group has been targeting ships it claimed linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In response, the U.S.-British coalition in the area has since been targeting Houthi military sites to deter the group, which only led to an escalation of Houthi attacks.
Several shipping companies have since changed their routes to the southern tip of Africa to avoid drone and missile attacks. ■
