DUBAI, July 1. /TASS/. Yemen’s Houthis attacked four ships, which the rebels regarded as having links to the UK, US and Israel, a military spokesman for the group said on Houthi-owned Al Masirah television.

According to the spokesman, Yahya Saree, the attacks targeted the container ship MSC Unific, the chemical tankers Delonix and Lucky Sailor, and the Anvil Point auxiliary vessel, which is part of the UK navy.

Saree said the rebels used cruise missiles to hit the ships. At the time of the attack, the container ship MSC Unific was in the Arabian Sea, the tanker Delonix was in the Red Sea, the tanker Lucky Sailor was in the Mediterranean Sea and the ship Anvil Point was in the Indian Ocean. The spokesman also said the Delonix sustained the second attack in the past week.

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.

In response to these attacks, the US and UK announced Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Afterward, the UK and US started carrying out regular strikes on Houthi military sites in various Yemeni provinces.