The Houthi group in Yemen launched on Wednesday missiles targeting a cargo ship in the Red Sea, the group's military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said in a statement.

The Houthi forces carried out an operation targeting the ship CMA CGM TAGE, he said in a live broadcast aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The operation came after the ship's crew refused to respond to calls from our forces, including fiery warning messages," he said.

The Houthi group will continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to Israel from navigating in the Red Sea and Arab Sea until food and medicine aid are allowed to enter the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson stressed.

Before dawn, residents in the western province of Taiz recorded and shared videos on social media capturing three missiles launched from the western coastal area of al-Barah towards the southern part of the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations wrote on social media platform X on Wednesday that it had received reports of up to three explosions near a merchant vessel in the Bab El-Mandeb.

Earlier that day, the U.S. Central Command stated that the Houthis had targeted cargo ships in the Red Sea. It said this was the 24th time the Houthis had attacked such vessels.

The Houthis' latest attack came nearly three days after a military helicopter of the U.S. Navy patrolling the Red Sea shot and killed 10 Houthi fighters and sank their three boats while they were trying to approach a merchant ship.

The Houthis have escalated their attacks on Israel-linked ships since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, demanding that food and medicine aid be allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

The Houthi group controls much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

(Cover: Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea, November 20, 2023. /CFP)