Yemen’s Houthi rebels fire missiles at ship bound for Iran, their main supporter

Dubai: Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a ship bound for a port in Iran on Monday, causing minor damage but no injuries to its crew, authorities said.

The attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Star Iris shows just how widely the Houthis now target ships travelling through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the two waterways.

The Star Iris had been heading from Brazil to Bandar Khomeini in Iran, the

main backer and armer of the Houthis in Yemen’s years-long war.

The Houthis sought to describe the Star Iris as an “American” vessel without offering evidence, and said they targeted the ship with multiple missiles.

The Houthis’ military “will not hesitate to carry out more operations in retaliation to the Zionist crimes against our brothers in the Gaza Strip, as well as in responseto the ongoing American-British aggression against our dear country”, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said in a statement after the attack. The British military’s United Kingdom Trade Operations centre reported the attack.