SANAA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's armed Houthi group on Thursday claimed responsibility for launching attacks against two ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

"In support of Palestinians in Gaza and in response to American-British aggression against our country, we carried out two military operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The first operation targeted the oil tanker MV Sounion because the company that operates it has dealt with the Israeli enemy," he said. "The ship was accurately and directly hit while sailing in the Red Sea and is at risk of sinking."

"The other operation targeted the ship SW North Wind I, also belonging to a company that deals with the Israeli enemy. It was directly and accurately hit while sailing in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea," he added.

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, MV Sounion, a Greek-flagged oil tanker, and SW North Wind I, a Panama-flagged commercial vessel, were both attacked on Wednesday.

The attacks come amid ongoing regional tensions. The Houthis have targeted "Israeli-linked" ships since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, vowing to escalate strikes until Israel halts its offensive.

In response, the United States and Britain have conducted air and naval strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January to prevent disruptions to international shipping lanes. This intervention has led the Houthis to expand their targets to include U.S. and British commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On Thursday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi claimed in a televised speech that his group has attacked 182 ships in shipping lanes off Yemen since November of last year. Enditem

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