A screengrab taken on Feb 19, 2024 shows Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea speaking during a televised statement. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

SANAA/BRUSSELS - Yemen's Houthi group announced Monday evening that they launched missile attacks against two US ships in the Gulf of Aden, saying the hits were "accurate".

In a televised statement aired by the group's satellite TV channel al-Masirah, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the attacks against American ships, Sea Champion and Navis Fortuna, were "accurate and direct", without specifying the damages or casualties.

According to Sarea, the attacks brought the total number of Houthi operations during the past 24 hours to four. The first targeted a British ship resulting in its complete sinking. The second shot down a US MQ9 drone in the airspace of Hodeidah Governorate, while the last two attacks targeted two American ships.

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"Our operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea will escalate and will not stop unless (Israeli) aggression (on Hamas) stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted," the Houthi military spokesperson said in the statement.

Shortly before the Houthi forces' televised statement, the Houthi forces accused the United States and Britain of launching an airstrike on the port city of Hodeidah, which is under Houthi control

Earlier in the day, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations agency said the crew had safely departed the attacked Britain-registered vessel.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said in a brief statement posted on social media platform X that the British cargo vessel was hit by two ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in northern Yemen.

"Between 9:30 and 10:45 pm, Feb 18, two anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen toward MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier. One of the missiles struck the vessel, causing damage," the US Central Command said.

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"The ship issued a distress call and a coalition warship along with another merchant vessel responded to the call to assist the crew of the MV Rubymar. The crew was transported to a nearby port by the merchant vessel," the US Central Command added.

In this image provided by Britain's Ministry of Defence, an RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to conduct further strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, Feb 3, 2024. (PHOTO / MINISTRY OF DEFENCE VIA AP)

Shortly before the Houthi forces' televised statement, the Houthi forces accused the United States and Britain of launching an airstrike on the port city of Hodeidah, which is under Houthi control.

Al-Masirah reported that the strike hit in the area of al-Jabanah in the city, without providing further details or casualties.

Residents said on social media platforms that the airstrike hit an empty area.

On Saturday, the US Central Command conducted "five successful strikes in self-defense" against Houthi targets, including mobile missiles and "for the first time" underwater drones.

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It said its strikes since January against the Houthi forces aimed to degrade the Houthi military capabilities.

However, Houthis, in response, have increased and expanded their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since last November to include the US and British navy ships recently.

The Houthi forces have been controlling the strategic Hodeidah on the Red Sea since the 2018 UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement, which was backed by the United States and Britain, forcing the Yemeni internationally recognized government out.  

European Union flags wave in the wind as pedestrians walk by EU headquarters in Brussels, on Sept 20, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

The mission "will ensure an EU naval presence in the area" where Houthi attacks have targeted international commercial vessels since October 2023, said the Council of the EU

EU launches naval mission

The European Union (EU) said Monday it launched a naval mission in the Red Sea and the Gulf regions to safeguard its commercial and security interests.

The mission, codenamed "ASPIDES", meaning shield in Greek, is of "defensive" nature, aiming to "restore and safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf," said the Council of the EU in a press release.

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The mission "will ensure an EU naval presence in the area" where Houthi attacks have targeted international commercial vessels since October 2023, said the Council. The mission's headquarters will be based in Larissa, Greece.

"Within its defensive mandate, the operation will provide maritime situational awareness, accompany vessels, and protect them against possible multi-domain attacks at sea," it added.

"The operation will be active along the main sea lines of communication in the Baab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as international waters in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf," it said.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthis claim missile attack on British ship

The EU's Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said last week that "as shipping through the Red Sea has been rerouted, delivery time for shipments between Asia and the EU have increased by 10-15 days, and the costs of these shipments have gone up by around 400 percent".