A merchant ship issued a distress call after being struck in the Red Sea off Yemen, a security firm has said, in what appeared to be the latest attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, AFP reports.

The ship was hit about 68 nautical miles southwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, maritime security firm Ambrey said.

The company “assessed the vessel aligned with the Houthi target profile at the time of the incident”, it said in a statement, without giving further details.

The Houthis, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition after ousting the government from the capital Sanaa in 2014, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November.