Yemeni Houthis reportedly fired two missiles on Monday at a vessel that was bound for a port-based in Iran, causing minor damages but zero injuries to the crew members, the authorities said. The attacks on the Greek-operated Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier named the Star Iris show how widely the Houthis target vessels that sail through the waters of the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden linking the two waterways.

The Star Iris was heading to Bandar Khomeini in Iran from Brazil. Iran is the key backer as well as the armor of the Houthis in Yemen’s age-old war. Without providing any evidence, the Houthis tried to present the Star Iris as an “American” ship and alleged to have fired several missiles against it.

The Houthi military, via Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, spokesperson, will not hesitate to launch additional operations in retaliation to Zionist crimes against the group’s brothers in the Gaza Strip. Also, as a response to the current American-British aggression against their dear country, the statement read following the attack.

The attack was reported by the British military’s UK Trade Operations Center (the organization in charge of monitoring seas in the Middle East). It was stated that the strike happened when the Star Iris was sailing south via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which divides East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

The ship’s captain reported that the vessel had been attacked by two missiles and said minor damages, the UKTMO informed. Both the ship and its crew are now safe. It is heading toward the upcoming port of call.

The Star Iris strike occurred after days when no Houthi attacks on vessels had been reported. What had brought about the pause is also still not evident. However, the British and US militaries have carried out multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi missile arsenals and launch sites in the territory they control.

November onward, the rebels have targeted vessels repeatedly in the Red Sea over the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza. They have also targeted vessels with tenuous/no apparent links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a crucial trade route for Asia, Europe, and the Mideast.