SANAA - Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on a cargo ship in the Red Sea and missile and drone strikes on two Israeli cities.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised statement that the group targeted the ship, identified as the "Tutor", using "an unmanned boat, several drones, and ballistic missiles". He said the operation caused "severe damage" to the vessel and put it "at risk of sinking".

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Sarea justified the attack by accusing the cargo ship's owner of violating a Houthi ban on entering Israeli ports. He further claimed that the group had carried out "joint military operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq" against targets in the Israeli coastal cities of Ashdod and Haifa, employing cruise missiles and drones.

An unnamed official at the Yemeni government's Coast Guard forces said the Greek-owned bulk carrier "Tutor" came under attack twice approximately 67.7 nautical miles southwest of Hodeidah, when an explosives-laden boat detonated at its stern, causing a breach in the hull and flooding

There has been no official statement from the Israeli side on the Houthi-claimed attacks.

Earlier on Wednesday, an unnamed official at the Yemeni government's Coast Guard forces said the Greek-owned bulk carrier "Tutor" came under attack twice approximately 67.7 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Hodeidah, when an explosives-laden boat detonated at its stern, causing a breach in the hull and flooding.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthis claim fresh attacks against 2 commercial vessels in Red Sea

Of the 21 crew members of different nationalities aboard the ship, one has been declared missing in the first attack, the official said.

Also on Wednesday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that warplanes of the United States and British naval coalition launched three airstrikes on Hodeidah.

The first strike targeted the area of al-Jabbanah in the western part of the city, while the other two targeted sites in the southern district of At Tuhayta, said the television without elaborating further.

Residents said they heard the sound of jets and then explosions in those targeted Houthi-held areas.

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There was no immediate comment from the coalition on the fresh strikes.

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

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