Aden, Yemen, Dec 1 (IANS): The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a maritime incident occurring some 80 nautical miles south of Yemen's port city of Aden on Sunday.

Authorities are investigating the incident, the UKMTO said in a statement on social media platform X, Xinhua reported.

Preliminary reports indicated an attack by the Houthi group targeting a merchant vessel, according to Yemeni government officials.

Specific details about the attacked vessel remain undisclosed.

Since November 2023, the Houthi group has launched rocket and drone attacks on Israel and disrupted "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea, allegedly to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In response, the US-British naval coalition stationed in the region has since January conducted regular air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.