Sanaa, July 13: In a televised statement , Yemen's Houthi group said it had attacked what it called the "Chrysalis vessel" twice. 

The attacks targeted the vessel in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, using ballistic missiles and bomb-laden drones, said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea in a television statement aired late Friday night. The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, reported Xinhua news agency.

He said the ship was attacked because the company operating it had dealt with Israeli ports.

However, international maritime data indicates no ship carries that exact name. A Liberia-flagged oil tanker called "Chrysalis" is the closest match, with its last recorded position in the Red Sea.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, began in November last year 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 US-British naval coalition stationed in the waters has since January conducted air raids and missile strikes against Houthi military targets to deter the group, which only led to an expansion of Houthi attacks to include US and British commercial vessels and naval ships.

Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday that his group had so far targeted "a total of 166 ships linked to Israel, US, and Britain."

(IANS)

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