ADEN, Yemen, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Houthi forces in Yemen carried out missile and drone strikes targeting an Italian commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, said an official from the Yemeni government's coast guard service.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "the commercial ship was sailing approximately 13-15 nautical miles from the Yemeni port city of Aden when it received warning calls from the Houthis, who impersonated the Yemeni navy and instructed it to divert course to the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah."

"The Houthis launched an attack on the ship after the call," the official said. The commercial ship was accompanied by a Greek warship, which managed to shoot down one of the drones.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that it had received the report of an incident 15 nautical miles southwest of Aden.

According to the agency, the vessel and all crew members are safe. A loud bang was heard, and witnesses observed a splash and smoke rising from the sea, it said, warning ships to transit the area with vigilance.

The Houthis have not officially claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

The latest strike continues a pattern of the Houthi forces carrying out attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait since November last year. The group claims these actions are in response to the Israeli military offensive in Gaza and have targeted vessels they allege have connections to Israel or are en route to Israeli ports.

In response to the Houthi attacks, the United States and Britain launched a joint military operation in January, conducting air raids and missile strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Following the military action by Washington and London, the Houthi group vowed retaliation and expanded its attacks to include U.S. and British ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Enditem

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