Israel accuses Iran of attacking oil tanker near Oman that killed two

The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yair Lapid, blamed Iran for the attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea, in which two crew members died.

“Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms us all. We must never remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also undermines the freedom of navigation “Lapid said via his Twitter account.

Lapid said he was in contact with the British Foreign Secretary, Dominique raab, to whom he commented “The need to respond severely to the attack on the ship”, in which a British citizen and a Romanian citizen were killed.

“I have instructed the embassies in Washington, London and the UN to act with their government interlocutors and the relevant delegations at UN headquarters in New York.”added the Israeli minister.

The ship, called “Rue Mercier” and Japanese property, it is operated by the company Maritime Zodiac, Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

When he was attacked on Thursday evening, he was in the northern Indian Ocean, “Travel from Dar es Salaam to Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) without cargo on board”, Zodiac reported in a statement.

Israeli media reported that Senior defense officials met last night to address the incident and cited anonymous security sources anticipating a response.

Although the nature of the incident has not yet been officially confirmed, the United States Central Command (Centcom), in charge of military operations in the Middle East, explained in a statement that the US Navy bomb squad boarded the attacked ship and that “the first signs indicate a “drone-type attack.”.

The aircraft carrier “USS Ronald Reagan” responded to the Mercer Street call for help, “and, after assisting his crew, escorted them out of the incident area, Centcom added.

Although Zodiac reported a possible act of piracy on Friday, maritime security firm Dryad Global said early reports indicated that the assault was allegedly carried out with a drone and which had similarities to previous acts perpetrated by Iran against ships linked to Israel.

If it is confirmed that this is an Iranian attack, it would represent a new chapter in hostilities between Israel and Tehran in the area, with multiple attacks and sabotages against cargo ships recorded over the past two years, which have intensified in recent months.

This, however, would be the first time that one of these attacks causes deaths, which could raise the tension.

In Iran, the Arab channel of one of the public television stations quoted “informed sources in the region”, according to which, the attack was a response “to a recent Israeli attack in Syria”, without giving more details.

The Arabian Sea lies between Iran and Oman and there is the strategic strait of Hormuz, through which it passes much of the world’s oil and where a US-led coalition is also present.

Ten years ago, ships sailing in the region were under attack from pirates, but these incidents have declined considerably in recent years, following the intensification of naval patrols in several countries.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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