DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group’s operations against Israel, carried out with the group Islamic Resistance in Iraq, would intensify.

Earlier, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched two joint military operations with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance against ships at Israel’s Haifa port — but the Israeli military denied the report.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it carried out two operations with the Houthis on Haifa port, according to a statement on its Telegram channel.

The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and are aligned with Iran, have attacked ships off its coast for months, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Hamas terror group, which is also backed by Iran, as it fights Israel in Gaza. That war broke out on October 7 with a shock Hamas attack that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza.

The group has launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.

Earlier Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted three vessels in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

In response to the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, the United States and the United Kingdom have launched strikes against the group since January.

The Houthis have also shot multiple missiles toward Israel, causing sirens in Eilat, and a Kan report on Monday said the group was training to invade Israel but needed a way to get there.