Yemen's Houthis claim targeting British ship, downing US drone

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen's Houthis claimed Monday to have targeted a British vessel in the Gulf of Aden and downed a US military drone in Hodeidah in the western part of the country.

"Yemeni Naval Forces targeted the British vessel RUBYMAR in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of appropriate naval missiles," Houthi-run Al-Masirah Channel cited a statement by the group's military spokesman Yahya Sari.

"The attack resulted in severe damage to the vessel, leading to its complete halt, and it is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden," the statement said.

It also noted that "Houthi air defenses downed a US MQ9 drone with a suitable missile in the western Yemeni province of Hodeidah," adding: "The drone was downed while conducting hostile operations against Yemen on behalf of the Israeli occupation."

There have been no comments yet by the US and UK on the Houthi statement.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under an Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7.

With tensions escalating due to the joint strikes of the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen, the group declared that it considered all American and British ships legitimate military targets.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio