Cairo, Egypt - Yemen's Houthi forces on Sunday claimed attacks on commercial vessels linked to Britain and Israel, the latest in a spate of assaults by the Iran-aligned group that has disrupted shipping in the Red Sea.

Houthi military spokesman Yehya Saree said the militia had attacked the British vessel Hope Island with missiles.

The attack was part of five military operations carried out by the group over the past 72 hours, the official said in a televised statement.

They included missile attacks on two Israeli ships in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

The spokesman added that the group had targeted a number of US frigates with drones in the Red Sea.

Houthi militants have been attacking ships in the Red Sea in what they say is retaliation for Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.

Major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and sailing the much longer journey around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead.

The Houthis say they want to force an end to Israel's brutal assault in the Gaza Strip, which followed the unprecedented massacre by the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas last October.

Several Western countries, including the US and Britain, have launched operations to protect ships in the region in response to the Houthi attacks.

The European Union has also deployed a military operation to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea.