SANAA, Yemen

Yemen's Houthi group said on Monday that it used a naval missile to target a US Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden.

''The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted with an appropriate naval missile the US Lewis B. Puller navy ship in the Gulf of Aden,'' the group's spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement.

''The mission of this ship is to provide logistical support to the US forces participating in the aggression against Yemen,'' he added.

Yemeni Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea, particularly those bound for Israel.

The Houthis say their attacks aim to put pressure on Israel to halt its deadly onslaught on the Gaza Strip, prompting the US and Britain to launch retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi targets inside Yemen.

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

*Writing by Mohammad Sio