The military spokesman for the Houthi group, Yahya Saree, announced today, Tuesday, that the group targeted what it said was an American ship called “Pinocchio” in the Red Sea.

Public databases managed by Equisys and the United Nations International Maritime Organization indicate that the Pinocchio is a Liberian-flagged container ship owned by the Singapore-registered company OM-MAR5.

Sari said in the speech, which was broadcast on television: “The armed forces confirm that their military operations will escalate, with the help of God Almighty, during the month of Ramadan, the month of jihad, in support of, support and support for the oppressed Palestinian people and for our mujahideen brothers in the Gaza Strip.”

For its part, the US Central Command said in its account on the The ship owned by a Singaporean company and flying the Liberian flag.

Central Command said that, yesterday, Monday, US forces carried out six strikes “in self-defense, destroying a drone submarine and 18 anti-ship missiles” in areas controlled by the Houthi group.

A spokesman for the internationally recognized Yemeni government said that at least 11 people were killed and 14 others were injured after air strikes, attributed to the US-British coalition, hit coastal cities and small towns in western Yemen, yesterday, Monday.

The Houthis began targeting international commercial ships with drones and missiles since mid-November, and said that their attacks come in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in the face of the war waged by the Israeli occupation on the Strip.

On the other hand, a Washington-led coalition has been launching raids that it says target “Houthi sites” in various regions of Yemen, since January 12, in response to its attacks in the Red Sea. In turn, the Houthis announced that all American and British ships were now among their military targets.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute to take longer, more expensive trips around South Africa, and raising fears that the scope of the Israeli war on Gaza will expand, destabilizing the Middle East.