Yemen's Houthi rebels targeted two U.S. Navy warships with multiple drones and missiles as they were traveling through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but the attacks were not successful, the Defense Department said Tuesday.

Houthis attacked US vessels, which the Pentagon said included eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and three anti-ship cruise missiles.

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.