Claim: British and Israeli ships hit in Yemen

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech that they had carried out 3 military operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

Stating that they targeted a British destroyer in the Red Sea and two ships heading to Israel in the Arabian Sea, Saree said, "As a victory for the oppressed Palestinian people and in response to the massacre at the Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip, they hit a British destroyer in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles."

Stating that the other operation was carried out in the Arabian Sea, Saree stated that two ships were hit with missiles and UAVs on the grounds that they violated the decision to ban access to Israeli ports.

DENIAL FROM THE UK

The UK Ministry of Defence denied the Houthi claim that they had carried out a ballistic missile attack on a British destroyer in the Red Sea.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE RED SEA

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have been seizing commercial ships they claim are affiliated with Israeli companies off the coast of Yemen since October 31, 2023, in response to Israel's attacks in Gaza, and have been attacking some of them with unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.

Following the Houthi actions, many shipping companies decided to suspend their voyages in the Red Sea. On December 18, 2023, the US announced the creation of a multinational "maritime task force" called "Operation Prosperity Guardian" with the participation of a group of countries, citing the threat to global maritime trade security.

Following the attacks by the US and the UK on areas under Houthi control in Yemen, the Houthis announced that they would target all ships belonging to these two countries.