Israeli-owned ship hit in suspected Iran drone attack

WASHINGTON

An Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in a suspected drone attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean, a U.S. defense official has said.

"We are aware of reports that there was a suspected IRGC-initiated Shahed-136 UAV [that] struck a civilian motor vessel in the Indian Ocean," the official said, adding that "the ship incurred minor damage" and there were "no injuries.

Maritime security company Ambrey said the Malta-flagged, French-operated container ship was reportedly damaged when the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded close to it.

"The vessel was managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, which was assessed to be the reason why it was targeted," Ambrey said, adding that in the days before the attack, the ship's tracking transmissions had stopped shortly after departing port in the United Arab Emirates.

The reported attack comes almost a week after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized an Israel-linked cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.

Ambrey said in a separate incident the Houthis cautioned a tanker southwest of Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeida "to change course and warned that an attack would follow if they did not follow the instructions.”

The security firm said the warning was issued several times, adding it is "likely a Huthi operation is imminent.”