SANAA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group launched a new missile attack at a U.S.-owned ship off the coast of Aden on Monday, a Yemeni coastguard source and a maritime agency said, amid the latest escalation of the conflict in the Red Sea.

The coastguard source told Xinhua that the U.S. ship was hit by a missile launched from Houthi-controlled areas in northern Yemen, while the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said it received a report of another attack on a ship 100 nautical miles east of Aden, the southern port city of Yemen that sits near the mouth of the Red Sea.

"Master reports an explosion in proximity to the vessel," the UKMTO said in an advisory, adding that the crew was safe, and the vessel was proceeding to the next port.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen and is fighting a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government, did not immediately comment on the attacks.

Earlier on Monday, the Houthi group said it hit "Rubymar," a Britain-registered cargo ship, with several missiles and caused "catastrophic damage" to the vessel.

The UKMTO said that the British cargo ship was damaged by a Houthi missile on Sunday in the southern Red Sea and that the crew had abandoned it.

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November, saying they were in solidarity with the Palestinians and aimed to force Israel and its allies the United States and Britain to stop the deadly conflict in Gaza.

The U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that its naval forces had conducted "five successful strikes" against Houthi targets, including mobile missiles and "for the first time" underwater drones. It said the strikes were aimed at degrading the Houthi military capabilities. Enditem

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