An Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in the Indian Ocean by a suspected drone attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US defense official said on Saturday.
“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 stated, confirming the attack and adding that “the ship incurred minor damage” and there were “no injuries”.
According to maritime security company Ambrey, the unmanned aerial vehicle exploded close to the Malta-flagged, French-operated container ship.
“The vessel was managed by an Israeli-affiliated company, which was assessed to be the reason why it was targeted,” Ambrey added that the ship's tracking transmissions had stopped shortly after leaving port in the United Arab Emirates in the days preceding the attack.
The reported attack comes nearly a week after Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels seized a cargo ship linked to Israel in the southern Red Sea.
According to Ambrey, the Huthis warned a tanker southwest of Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeida on Friday 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”.
Following an unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas militants, the Huthis, declaring themselves part of the "axis of resistance" of Iran-affiliated groups, have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since October.
Israel has vowed to "crush" Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after the Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped over 240 people on October 7, according to Israeli authorities.
Nearly 15,000 people, according to the Hamas government in Gaza, have died as a result of Israeli airstrikes and ground operations inside Palestinian territory since then.
The Huthi rebels threatened to launch more naval assaults on Monday unless Israel stopped its campaign in Gaza.