A merchant vessel issued a distress call reporting a missile impacting the vessel approximately 129 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden while on route from Malaysia to Italy's Venice, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Thursday. Ambrey said it assessed the vessel to be aligned with "the Houthi target profile." Iran-allied Houthis have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea region since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. They have sunk one ship, seized another vessel, and killed three seafarers in another attack. The group controls Yemen's capital and most populous areas.