DUBAI, February 1. /TASS/. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah, said it conducted 10 military operations against ships traveling in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait over the past week.

"Over this week we conducted a total of 10 military operations in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, attacking ships and vessels associated with the Israeli enemy, the US and the UK," he said on Al Masirah television.

Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the group, also known as the Houthis, said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with that country from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ended. The Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since mid-November.

On January 12, US and UK aircraft, naval ships and submarines struck Houthis sites in some Yemeni cities. The targets included the Houthis sites for launching missiles and drones, along with locations of radar stations. Overnight into January 23, the UK and the US carried out a second officially confirmed joint series of strikes, with the main target being underground Houthi depots and sites related to missile launches and aerial surveillance.