Middle East crisis: Ship hit by missile off Yemen coast

A missile struck a vessel sailing through Yemeni waters Monday, British officials have reported.

A Western-led coalition has been attempting to safeguard shipping in the busy waterway from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

In a statement, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center said that the "incident" had taken place 95 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, close to the port of Aden. According to the message, the vessel was "hit from above by a missile" and authorities are now investigating. No group has yet claimed responsibility.

On Friday, U.S. and British navies began a series of strikes against sites linked to Houthi rebels inside the Gulf nation, destroying weapons stores and radar stations with precision munitions in the wake of a campaign by the militant group to disrupt civilian vessels in the Red Sea.

While the Shia rebel organization claims it is only harassing shipping linked to Israel amid its war on Hamas in Gaza, dozens of cargo ships and tankers have been targeted, with fears growing for global trade in goods and energy.