Yemen’s Houthis claim attacks on US destroyers, ship in Red Sea

​​​​​​SANAA, Yemen (AA) - The Yemeni Houthi group said Wednesday it targeted the USS Cole and USS Laboon destroyers as well as another ship in the Red Sea with multiple drone and ballistic missile strikes.

“The naval (Houthi) forces conducted three joint military operations. The first operation targeted the American destroyer Cole in the Gulf of Aden with several drones,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.

Saree said the second operation targeted the Laboon with ballistic missiles, though he did not specify the location of the strike.

He reported that the group targeted the Contship Ono commercial ship with ballistic missiles and drones and claimed the attack was in response to the ship's owner violating the group's ban on entering Israeli ports.

The US has not commented on the claims.

The Houthis have been targeting Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a multinational mission, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to counter Houthi attacks earlier this year.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul