Aden, Jan 17 (IANS): The US has reportedly conducted a series of fresh airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen's central province of Al Bayda.

Yasser Jahlan, a local government official, said that the strikes occurred on Tuesday just several hours after the Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile attack against a US-owned oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that three strikes hit Houthi military barracks and facilities in the Mukayras district of Al Bayda before dawn on Tuesday.

The US Central Command issued a statement confirming the strikes, stating that "the US Forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles prepared to launch from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen".

It came after an incident on Monday when a US-owned and operated container ship was hit by a missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

In the past few hours, the Houthi group has claimed responsibility for a new attack on a Greek-owned, Malta-flagged freighter ZOGRAFIA with multiple missiles in the Red Sea.

According to a Houthi statement, the attack was a response to the ship's ignoring its warnings by continuing to sail toward Israel.

The Houthi group has escalated its attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait recently, by employing armed boats, drones and missiles, prompting concerns about maritime security in this crucial global trade route.

Maritime authorities are urging all ships transiting the Red Sea to exercise extreme caution and maintain vigilance against potential threats.

The Houthis have controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa, since ousting the Yemeni government in 2014.