The Iran-backed group launched drones, fired missiles at two US warships in an hours-long attack, the Pentagon says.

In October, the US military said it had launched strikes on 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, with several explosions reported in the capital Sanaa. It has previously said it aims to degrade the Houthis' ability to target shipping.

A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels has seen multiple explosions strike near a vessel traveling through the Red Sea.

The Houthis and the US military have been attacking each other since November last year, when the Houthis began launching anti-ship missiles and drone attacks on what they said were "Israeli-linked" cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have shot down what they described as an American drone, potentially the latest downing of a U.S. spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor.

An attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels saw multiple explosions strike near a commercial vessel traveling through the Red Sea on Tuesday, though no damage was immediately reported by the ship, Western authorities said.

The attack on the ships was the latest in months of violence in the region by the Yemen rebels, who are backed by Iran and have targeted commercial shipping as well as the U.S. naval forces deployed to the region.