Hezbollah Missile Hit Egyptian Merchant Ship

An Egyptian merchant ship was hit by a Hezbollah missile injuring one crew member during the guerillas' attack on an Israeli warship off of Beirut, an Egyptian transport official said. The Moonlight, bound for the Syrian port of Tartus with a cargo of cement, was struck by a missile and set aflame, the official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give statements to the media. One of the 12 Egyptian sailors on board was injured in the incident, he said. The Moonlight was 21.75 miles off of the Lebanese coast when it was hit, according to Mohammed al-Redi of the al-Redi Agency that owns the vessel, meaning that it was outside the 3-mile blockade Israel imposed on the Lebanese shoreline.Another ship, the al-Marwa, also carrying cement and owned by the same company, rescued the crew and took it to Syria, al-Redi told reporters. He said the company does not know what happened to the vessel after its crew was rescued. Along with its cargo, the Moonlight is valued at $2.5 million. Both vessels departed Wednesday from the Egyptian port of Damietta.