The United States and Britain carried out strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen, but what they hit was unclear.

US Central Command said the US military launched a new strike against anti-ship missiles in the third assault on the Houthis.

The Houthi attack on the Maltese-flagged 56,894-dwt bulker Zografia involved an anti-ship missiles, the US statement said, adding that the ship continued its Red Sea transit after being hit and saying it remained seaworthy.

The Houthis have been targeting vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in attacks the Iran-aligned group says aim to support the Palestinians as Israel and Hamas wage war, Reuters reports.

US and British naval forces shot down 21 incoming drones and missiles. The Houthis said it was in part retaliation for a New Year's Eve incident when US helicopters sank three Houthi boats, killing fighters who were attempting to board a commercial vessel.

Houthis say that 10 of their naval personnel were dead and missing after three of their boats were attacked by US forces in the Red Sea. Houthi naval forces had carried out a missile attack on the Maersk Hangzhou container vessel after its crew refused to heed warning calls, a Houthi spokesman said.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping said there were no injuries to its crew from the attack on its ship, the Liberian flagged 8,200-TEU United VIII, en route from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan.

The United States shot down four drones headed towards a US destroyer in the southern Red Sea and launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command said.