Vessels in and around the Red Sea have come under repeated attack for months by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen DUBAI/CAIRO: The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that the captain and crew of a vessel 96 nautical miles southeast of Yemen"s Nishtun were forced to abandon ship after it suffered flooding that could not be contained. The crew has been recovered by an assisting ship while the abandoned ship remains adrift, it added. Also on Sunday, UKMTO earlier reported that a merchant ship was damaged by a drone attack in the Red Sea near Yemen, though no injuries were reported. The attack occurred about 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers) west of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, said UKMTO, which is run by the British navy. “The Master of a merchant vessel reports being hit by uncrewed aerial system (UAS), resulting in damage to the vessel. All crew members are reported safe, and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” said a bulletin from the agency. “Authorities are investigating,” it added, offering no attribution for the attack. Vessels in and around the Red Sea have come under repeated attack for months by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, the US Central Command, which has carried out retaliatory strikes against the Houthis over their attacks on shipping, said it had destroyed three nautical drones belonging to the group over the past 24 hours. It also said the group had launched three anti-ship missiles into the Gulf of Aden, but no injuries or significant damage were reported.