In an "initial assessment" given to the public broadcaster Kan, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz blamed Iran for an explosion a day earlier on the MV Helios Ray, a vessel owned by the Israeli company Ray Shipping operating in the Gulf of Oman. According to Israeli media, Israeli defense officials suspect that the Iranian Navy struck the ship with two missiles in a precision strike meant to damage but not sink the vessel. An Israeli delegation reportedly planned to travel to the Dubai port where the vessel had docked to investigate. An unnamed U.S. official said that the explosion left holes above the waterline on both sides of the ship.