Houthis target three ships in Red Sea and Arabian Sea

Yemen's Houthis targeted the Palauan-flagged, Ukrainian-owned, Polish-operated bulk cargo carrier "Verbena" in the Arabian sea and attacked two more vessels, the Seaguardian ship and Athina ship, in the Red Sea.

The crew of Verbena "reported damage and subsequent fires on board. One civilian mariner was severely injured during the attack," the US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.

The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised speech on Thursday that the attacks on the ships come "in retaliation to the crimes committed against our people in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the American-British aggression against our country".

The Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing war on Gaza.