Yemen's Houthis say they attacked 3 ships in Red Sea, Indian Ocean

SANAA, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A military spokesman for Yemen's Houthi group announced on Monday that the group had launched attacks on three ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.

"The first (attack) targeted the American ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second targeted the Israeli ship (MSC Mechela) in the Indian Ocean. The third targeted the ship (Minerva Lisa) in the Red Sea," Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea said that his group also launched drone attacks against "two U.S. warships in the Red Sea, and the hits were accurate," vowing to continue attacks until Israel stops its war in the Gaza Strip.

No public information could be found for the first two ships, but multiple maritime traffic trackers showed a Marshall Islands-flagged Largo Desert tanker en route from Durban, South Africa to Beira, Mozambique had been active in the area.

Online tracker Marine Traffic showed Minerva Lisa was a crude oil tanker located in the Red Sea earlier in the day.

On Friday, the Houthi group claimed they launched a missile attack against Israeli ship Essex in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Houthis began last November to launch anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones targeting what they said were Israeli-linked ships transiting the Red Sea, to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

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