A U.S. Coast Guard cutter deployed to the Middle East intercepted a shipment of weapons Iran was sending to its proxy Houthi militia in Yemen, the U.S. military said Thursday.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. last month seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid shipped from Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled Yemen.

The interception, which occurred Jan. 28 in the Arabian Sea, comes as the Houthis have been attacking commercial and U.S. as well as British military vessels transiting the nearby Red Sea amid Israel's war against another Tehran proxy militia, Hamas, in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. was assigned to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and located and boarded the vessel in the Arabian Sea. More than 200 packages containing lethal weapons and military equipment were found, CENTCOM said.

The confiscated material included components for medium-range ballistic missiles and underwater and surface drones. Explosives, military-grade communication and network equipment and anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies were also found.

The U.S. military said the transfer violated several U.N. Security Council resolutions.

"This is yet another example of Iran's malign activity in the region," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.

"Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce."

The Houthis -- who have been fighting a civil war against the internationally recognized Yemeni government since 2014 -- have vowed to attack vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Since it launched its first attack on Nov. 19, some 30 vessels have been targeted by the Houthis, and the United States and Britain have responded with retaliatory strikes into Yemen that the Biden administration says are to degrade the Iran proxy militia's ability to conduct future strikes while also being a deterrent.

Houthis say they attacked bulk carrier in Gulf of Aden

Houthi rebels in Yemen said they struck a British supermax bulk carrier transiting the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, the latest attack by the Iran proxy militia amid Israel's war in Gaza.

Its naval forces attacked the Barbados-flagged Lycavitos carrier with "appropriate naval missiles," the militia said in a statement.

"The strikes were direct."

The announcement came as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported an attack about 85 nautical miles east of Aden, Yemen. It said an unidentified ship reported an explosion nearby.

"The crew and the vessel are reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call," the incident report said. "Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO."

The Lycavitos is operated by Helikon Shipping, which was established in London in 1961, and also has offices in Athens, and Dalian, China. UPI has contacted Helikon for comment and confirmation.

According to the company's website, the Lycavitos was built in 2007 and has a deadweight tonnage of 58,786.

Since Nov. 19, the Houthis have attacked some 30 vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, stating the strikes are in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid Israel's war against Hamas, another Iran proxy militia, in Gaza.

The United States and Britain, along with other democratic allies, have responded with retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in areas of Yemen under the rebels' control.

The Biden administration said the retaliatory strikes seek to deter further Houthi attacks and degrade the militia's ability to launch them.

The attack on Thursday, however, followed the Houthis striking the Iran-bound Greek bulk grain carrier Star Iris on Monday.

Houthis vow to continue attacks in solidarity with Palestinians

Newly recruited Houthi fighters shout slogans during a ceremony at the end of their training in Sanaa.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis will press on with attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity with the Palestinians as long as Israel continues to commit "crimes" against them, their leader said on Thursday.

"Our operations have a big impact on the enemy which constitute a great success and a real triumph", Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech.

He said the group would continue to support the Palestinians despite U.S. and British strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for the Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

The Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping and forced firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilise the wider Middle East.