American and British forces launched 3 waves of strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen (Getty)

US military officials said that the Houthis fired two missiles - yesterday, Monday - at a cargo ship heading to Iran in the Red Sea, causing minor damage to the ship but no casualties.

The US Central Command said - on the social networking site

Reuters quoted officials from the Central Command as saying that reports received from the ship indicated that it was seaworthy, with minor damage and no casualties among the crew members, indicating that the destination of “Star Iris” was Bandar Imam Khomeini in Iran.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, announced that the American ship "Star Iris" was targeted with missiles in the Red Sea, and said that the attack resulted in direct hits.

The military spokesman reiterated his confirmation that the Houthis will continue their operations against Israeli ships until the aggression against Gaza is stopped.

The US Central Command and Kepler Analytics and Data Group reported that “Star Iris” was transporting a shipment of corn from Brazil to Iran.

Heading to Iran

Reuters quoted sources in the shipping sector as saying that the attack that occurred early yesterday morning was the first time that the Houthis appeared to have targeted a ship heading to Iran since the start of their attacks on international shipping traffic in solidarity with the Palestinians against the backdrop of the war launched by Israel against Gaza.

“Like all cargo ships heading to Iran, the Star Iris did not divert away from the Red Sea, perhaps because it was not afraid of attacks from the Houthis, who could be considered friendly given the ship’s destination,” said Ishaan Bhanu, senior agricultural commodities analyst at Kpler.

He added, "Brazil's exports constitute the majority of Iran's corn imports, and are expected to reach 4.5 million tons this year."

Reuters quoted a security official from the region that the attack was apparently aimed at "showing that Iran does not control the Houthis and that they are acting independently," noting that the Houthis had informed Tehran in advance.

This comes in the context of the escalation the region is witnessing due to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip for more than 4 months.

Since the beginning of last December, the Houthi group has claimed responsibility for targeting 20 ships in the areas of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, using missiles and drones, as part of its measures to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to Israeli ports from passing.

It is noteworthy that American and British forces launched three waves of strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen since January 12. American forces alone, from time to time, strike missiles that are said to be prepared for launch.

Source: Agencies