SANAA, Jan 10, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels on Wednesday said they had fired drones and missiles at an American ship, after US and UK forces reported foiling a large attack in the Red Sea.

Military spokesman Yahya Saree said a "large number" of missiles and drones targeted a US ship that was "providing support" to Israel during its war against Hamas.

"The naval forces, the missile force, and the unmanned air force of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a joint military operation with a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones," he said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Saree did not give timing or a location for the attack. Earlier on Wednesday, the US military said American and British forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles launched by the Huthis towards international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

It was the "largest attack... to date" by the Huthis in the Red Sea, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement.

The rebels, part of the "axis of resistance" of groups arrayed against Israel, have launched more than 100 drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea during the ongoing war in Gaza, according to Pentagon figures.