Houthi rebels strike ships off Yemen coast, British maritime group says

July 15 (UPI) -- Yemen's Houthi militia attacked two merchant vessels Monday, the British Maritime Trade Operations said.

The captain of a ship traveling 70 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Hodeidah reported a missile fell near the ship at about 8 a.m. GMT.

Forty-five minutes later, the captain reported that two more missiles had exploded near the ship but that the ship and the crew were unharmed. He reported the vessel was attacked by three small blue and white vessels, two with people on board and one unmanned.

The unmanned craft collided with the ship twice and the two manned craft fired at it.

"The vessel and crew are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to the next port of call," the maritime agency posted.

UKMTO also reported a merchant ship was attacked by a remotely operated boat 97 nautical miles northwest of Hodeidah at noon GMT.

The port side of his ship was hit, causing some damage and light smoke. The vessel was reported safe and proceeded to its next port of call.

The Houthis didn't claim responsibility for the attacks.

On Sunday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for two attacks -- one in the Gulf of Aden and one in Eilat at the southern tip of Israel.

Since November , the Houthis have destroyed two ships, captured another, and launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and remotely operated and explosive-rigged boats at more than 100 naval and commercial ships in international sea lanes off Yemen.

On Saturday , Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the United States Central Command commander, visited Jordan and Syria to meet with leaders and U.S. service members and "gain a better understanding of the regional security situation," including Yemen.

Kurilla met with Jordan's Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Alhnaity and key members of his staff, Central Command said Monday. He also visited several U.S. military facilities in Jordan and Syria "to assess force protection improvements and the overall defeat ISIS campaign."

The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, based in San Diego, arrived in the Middle East on Friday to replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower "to deter aggression, promote regional stability, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region," according to U.S. Central Command.