Aden, Yemen - Yemen's Houthis on Saturday claimed a series of attacks on a US vessel and warships in the Red Sea, the latest in a spate of assaults caused by escalating tensions over Israel's war on Gaza.

The Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree said the militia had attacked the Propel Fortune ship in the Gulf of Aden with naval missiles and targeted several US war destroyers with 37 drones in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthi claim came shortly after the US said it and its allies Saturday had shot down 15 drones fired by the Houthis into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The US Central Command said in a statement the drones posed an "imminent threat" to merchant vessels.

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The US army earlier said they carried out a strike against the Houthis in Yemen on Friday.

Two Houthi anti-ship missiles mounted on trucks were the target, the Pentagon's regional command announced on Saturday on X. The incident occurred on Friday morning around 2:50 AM ET.

Militias also fired two ballistic anti-ship missiles from Yemen at the MV Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden on Friday afternoon, the statement added.

The ship, which flies the Singapore flag, is also owned and operated by Singapore. However, the missiles did not hit the freighter, and no injuries or damage were reported.

By firing at ships in the Red Sea, the militant rebels want to force an end to an Israeli deadly assault on Gaza. This week saw the first deaths resulting from these attacks, as three crew members of a Liberian-owned cargo ship were killed.

Due to the threat in the Red Sea, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe. The US and UK have repeatedly bombed Yemen in response.