SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi group said Sunday that it targeted two Israeli ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea with a naval missile and a drone.

“The Naval Forces in the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against two Israeli ships in Bab Al-Mandab, namely the ship Unity Explorer and the ship Number Nine, where the first ship was targeted with a naval missile and the second with a marine drone,” said spokesman Yahya Saree.

Saree said “the targeting operation came after the two ships ignored the warning messages from the Yemeni Naval Forces.”

“The Yemeni Armed Forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating in the Red and Arabian Seas until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops,” he said.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces renew their warning to all Israeli ships or those associated with Israelis that they will become a legitimate target if they violate what has been stated in this statement and previous statements issued by the Yemeni Armed Forces.”

There was no comment from Israel on the Houthi statement.

The Houthi group previously announced that it was targeting Israeli ships in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The group’s operations against vessels coincide with Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have been ongoing since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

The Israeli army resumed bombing the Gaza Strip early Friday after declaring an end to a week-long humanitarian pause.

At least 509 Palestinians have been killed and 1,316 injured since Friday in Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has surged to 15,523 since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave announced Sunday.

The number of wounded through the same period has risen to 41,316.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi