Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Escalate: Missiles Target Iran-Bound Ship

In Dubai (UAE), Yemen’s Houthi insurgents launched a pair of projectiles towards a vessel destined for an Iranian port on Monday, inflicting minor damage but sparing its crew from harm, as per official reports. The assault targeted the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier named Star Iris, underscoring the Houthis’ expanding reach in targeting vessels navigating the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that interconnects these maritime passages. The Star Iris, en route from Brazil to Bandar Khomeini in Iran, a key supporter and supplier of arms to the Houthi faction in Yemen’s protracted conflict, became the focal point of this perilous incident.

The Houthi faction attempted to depict the Star Iris as an American ship without substantiating their claim and asserted that they employed multiple missiles in the assault. Following the attack, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, declared, “The Houthi military will not hesitate to execute further operations in response to the Zionist transgressions against our brethren in the Gaza Strip and in reaction to the ongoing American-British hostilities against our beloved nation.”

The United Kingdom Trade Operations center of the British military, responsible for overseeing maritime activities in the Middle East, documented the incident, noting that it occurred while the Star Iris traversed southward through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, demarcating the boundary between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The vessel’s captain reported that the ship endured a twin-missile assault resulting in minor damages, according to the UKTMO. Remarkably, both the vessel and its crew emerged unscathed, and the ship is presently progressing towards its subsequent port of call.

This offensive on the Star Iris transpired subsequent to a brief period during which no Houthi assaults on maritime vessels were documented. The reason behind this hiatus remains unclear; nevertheless, the United States and United Kingdom militaries have executed numerous rounds of airstrikes targeting Houthi missile depots and launch sites within their held territories. Since November, the insurgents have recurrently aimed at vessels navigating the Red Sea, attributing their actions to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Notably, these attacks often involve vessels with tenuous or nonexistent affiliations with Israel, jeopardizing trade routes connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.