One ship was hit by a sea drone, puncturing a ballast tank, and a second vessel was damaged by a missile less than three hours later, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have targeted ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in what they describe as support for Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war.

In the first attack, a port-side ballast tank, used to adjust buoyancy, was holed by an “uncrewed surface vessel”, UKMTO, which is run by the UK’s Royal Navy, said in a statement.

The same ship, sailing 118km northwest of Hodeida, had come under threat earlier on Tuesday, UKMTO said, reporting four splashes nearby.

The second ship was damaged by a missile strike 179km off Hodeida, UKMTO said, adding all crew were reported safe.

Months of Houthi drone and missile attacks have disrupted maritime traffic in the Red Sea and triggered reprisal strikes by the US and the UK against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree on Tuesday pledged “practical support for the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples until the (Israeli) aggression is defeated and its criminal plans and expansionist conspiracies are thwarted”.

On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit Hodeida after the Houthis said they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

The attack on Hodeida, Israel’s second on the vital port city since July, killed at least five people and wounded dozens more, according to rebel-run media.