Shafaq News/ The Yemeni group Ansarallah (Houthis) declared on Monday that they successfully shot down a US plane and struck a British ship in the Gulf of Aden.

In an official statement, spokesperson Yahya Sarea said that the group's naval have targeted the British ship "RUBYMAR" with "a number of appropriate naval missiles," causing severe damage and leaving it at risk of sinking."

The group emphasized the safe evacuation of the ship's crew during the operation.

Furthermore, Saree reported that Yemeni air defenses in Hodeidah successfully downed an American MQ9 drone with a well-placed missile.

The group accused the United States of conducting hostile missions on behalf of the "Zionist entity."

“The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to take more military measures and carry out more qualitative operations against all hostile targets in defense of beloved Yemen and in confirmation of the position of support for the Palestinian people.” The statement added, stressing that the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red and Arab Bahrain will not stop “until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

On Sunday, the United States announced conducting five new strikes on targets deemed " an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region."

"Between the hours of 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Sanaa time), Feb. 17, CENTCOM successfully conducted five self-defense strikes against three mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, one unmanned underwater vessel (UUV), and one unmanned surface vessel (USV) in Iranian-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen." The US Central Command said.

The statement pointed out that this is the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since the attacks began on Oct. 23.

The Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, started their operations in the Red Sea, preventing all Israeli or Israeli-related from passing through Bab Al-Mandeb.

The group said that all its operations are in solidarity with "the oppressed Palestinian people, who until this moment are subjected to aggression and siege."

The Yemeni group, which controls most of Yemen, including the vital capital, Sanaa, is a key player in the region and a main part of the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance. This umbrella includes Iraqi factions, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions.