The Pentagon said on Tuesday that American warships shot down drones and missiles launched by the Yemeni Houthi group as ships crossed the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthis announced earlier on Tuesday that they had carried out two military operations in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, targeting ships belonging to the US Navy. Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said that the two operations lasted eight hours.

Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said that two American warships were attacked on Monday by eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and at least three anti-ship cruise missiles.

Ryder added that he was not aware of any attacks on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

Saree stated that the first operation targeted an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea with a number of missiles and drones, while the second operation targeted two American destroyers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones.

The Houthis, allied with Iran, have been launching attacks on global shipping lanes near Yemen since October 7, 2023, in what they say are attacks on ships they consider to be related to Israel, in solidarity with the Palestinians during Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis control northern Yemen.

The attacks prompted the United States and Britain to carry out retaliatory strikes. The Houthis previously said that they targeted American destroyers and drones.