ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group fired missiles at government-held islands overlooking international shipping lanes in the Red Sea on Thursday, the state-run Saba TV channel reported.

Citing a military source, the channel said the Houthis targeted the islands with ballistic missiles, without identifying them or providing information on casualties or damage.

The attack came after the Yemeni Navy thwarted a Houthi attack on the same islands. Late Wednesday, naval patrols confronted five Houthi boats attempting to approach the islands, forcing them to retreat toward Houthi-held Hodeidah, and shot down a Houthi reconnaissance drone ahead of the boats, according to Saba.

On Wednesday evening, the Yemeni naval forces also seized a vessel in the Red Sea, recovering equipment allegedly used to produce drones. Military officials said the shipment was smuggled from Iran to the Houthis.

Neither the Houthis nor Iran has commented on the claims.

Fighting between government forces and the Houthis has intensified across several fronts in recent weeks. The government forces stepped up drone and artillery strikes on Houthi positions, while the group launched missile and drone attacks on government-held areas in Marib and along the western Red Sea coast.

The escalation has also extended beyond Yemen's battlefields. Since announcing a ban on Saudi-linked maritime traffic on July 20, the Houthis have claimed a series of attacks on Saudi-linked vessels and targets inside the kingdom.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.