A Saudi-led coalition says rebels in Yemen have fired a missile at an Emirati ship, causing no damage but wounding one sailor.

 

A statement early Thursday carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said rebels fired on the ship as it left Mokha, a strategic Red Sea port.

 

Saudi-led forces began their war in Yemen in March 2015, battling Shiite rebels known as Houthis who hold the capital, Sanaa, with their allies.

 

Emirati ships have been targeted before in the conflict. The attack Wednesday also comes after an international naval coalition said it would increase its patrols of waters off Yemen over concerns about attacks on ships there.

 

The Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb off Yemen are two crucial areas for shippers transiting the Suez Canal.