FILE PHOTO: U.S. Navy warships conduct exercises in Arabian Sea. REUTERS

 – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis carried out a military operation in which they targeted two U.S. warship destroyers in the Red Sea, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said in a televised speech on Tuesday.

He said the ships were targeted with a number of naval missiles and drones.

Houthis’ Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.

Houthi militants have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s military actions in Gaza.

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(Reporting by Yomna Ehab and Adam Makary; Editing by Sandra Maler)