In this image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, RAF Typhoon FRG4s are prepared to conduct further strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, Feb 3, 2024. (PHOTO / MINISTRY OF DEFENCE VIA AP)

SANAA - Yemen's Houthi group on Thursday claimed responsibility for attacking a British ship in the Gulf of Aden with several missiles.

Meanwhile, the US and British forces on Thursday conducted new airstrikes on Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

Speaking about the attack on a British ship in the Gulf of Aden, Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement that they had carried out a military operation against the British ship - Lycavitos, while it was sailing in the Gulf of Aden. The statement was aired by the group's al-Masirah satellite TV channel.

We will continue to attack Israel-linked ships or those heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on the Palestinian people is lifted. 

Yahya Sarea, Houthi military spokesman

The Houthis launched several missiles that hit the ship "directly and accurately," according to Sarea.

The Barbados-flagged ship Lycavitos was sailing in the Indian Ocean to the east of Aden when it was hit by a missile strike, said a Yemeni government coast guard official who required anonymity.

Preliminary information indicated the vessel sustained minor damage from a fragment that struck the diesel generator's pipe, causing a diesel leak, the official said. All crew members were unharmed in the incident.

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Earlier in the day, the UK Maritime Operations Authority said it received a report of an explosion around 85 nautical miles east of Aden. The ship's captain reported that the crew members were all safe as the ship headed toward its next port.

"We will continue to attack Israel-linked ships or those heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on the Palestinian people is lifted," Sarea said in the statement.

READ MORE: Houthis claim missile attacks after fresh US-British airstrikes

"We are in the process of taking further military measures in response to the American-British aggression on our country and confirming our practical position to support the Palestinian people," he added.

US and British forces airstrikes

The airstrikes hit the area of al-Jah in the district of Bayt al-Faqih, south of Hodeidah, and the Al-Jabanah area in the northern part of the port city, the report said, without providing more details.

Since last November, Yemen's Houthi group has been carrying out attacks in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait on ships linked to Israel, in a move to show its solidarity with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) fighting with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since last October.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthis vow to retaliate for US-British airstrikes

In response, the United States and Britain have launched airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen since Jan 12. The Houthis have vowed to retaliate by expanding attacks on ships, including American and British commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.