MIDDLE EAST CRISIS: Iran attacks site in Iraq it says is a Mossad office. Houthi missile hits US cargo ship

Colombo (News 1st) - UPDATE: Tensions rose further in the Middle East as Iran attacked what it called an Israeli Mossad centre in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil early Tuesday (16th), and a Houthi missile fired from Yemen hit a U.S.-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, raising the possibility of more U.S. military strikes on Yemen in response, foreign media reported.

At least eight explosions were heard in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, early on Tuesday.

A statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said in a statement: “Ballistic missiles were used to destroy espionage centres and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the region late tonight”.

A later IRGC statement, shared by Iran’s IRNA news agency, claimed the group had targeted the headquarters of Israeli spy agency Mossad in Erbil.

Hours before, the merchant vessel Gibraltar Eagle, flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was hit in the Red Sea by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from Yemen by the Houthis, but has not suffered any significant damage and is continuing on its way, U.S. Central Command said.

A second missile that was fired had malfunctioned and crashed on land in Yemen.

The Houthi attacks came a few days after the U.S. and U.K. struck multiple targets across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen with over 100 bombs and missiles. The Houthis have vowed revenge against the US, UK and any nation that helps the coalition.

The Houthis have been staging attacks against ships in the Red Sea for more than a month, claiming that they are only targeting ships bound to or from Israel or are connected to Israel in some way.

Most of the world's largest shipping firms have suspended sending vessels through the Red Sea and are now using the much longer route around Africa. This has driven shipping rates up and caused some disruption to global supply chains.

(File photo of the Gibraltar Eagle)