The Iranian TV station quoted sources as saying that the Iranian side admitted to attacking an Israeli company-operated ship on the 30th and causing the death of two crew members, and the Israeli side promised to fight back heavily.
Iranian TV reported on the 30th, citing sources, that the attack on the ship was “retaliation for Israel’s attack on Syria’s Daba Airport.”
On the other hand, the Israeli Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff held a meeting after the ship attack in the waters off Oman and instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to publicize Israel’s position and respond to the attack.
The Israeli Foreign Minister also called for a severe response to attacks on Israeli ships.
Reuters quoted European and American intelligence sources as saying that Iran was the main suspect in an attack on an Israeli company-operated oil tanker in the waters off Amman. The attack has resulted in the death of two crew members.
A U.S. military official told a Reuters reporter that the tanker was probably attacked by drones.
The Israeli company Zodiac Maritime said on the 30th that a ship it operated was attacked in the Arabian Sea near Oman and killed two crew members.
Israel Channel 13 reported that the attack resulted in the death of the British captain and a Romanian guard.
The media quoted a senior Israeli source as saying that Iran was behind the attack on the ship.
The source said that the attack on the ship was an “Iranian terrorist operation carried out by drones” and considered the attack an insult to international shipping.
The media pointed out that at the time of the attack, there were no Israeli citizens on board.
Prior to this, Israeli military radio reported that the ship attacked was the Japanese-owned tanker “Mercer Street”, but it was operated by the Israeli shipping company “Zodiac Maritime” under the name of Israeli billionaire Ofer.
The radio station added that the ship was carrying no cargo and was on its way to a port in the UAE when the attack occurred. A spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense pointed out to Al Jazeera reporters that it was verifying reports of the attack.
The British Ministry of Defence stated that the ship had become a target of an attack in the waters off Oman, adding that it was still investigating the reported attack.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Service, managed by the Royal Navy, issued a brief statement claiming that it was investigating the incident that occurred in the northeastern part of Masira Island in Oman late at night on the 29th, but did not provide more details.
According to this statement, the location of the accident was more than 300 kilometers southeast of Muscat, the capital of Oman. Oman did not immediately comment on the attack. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Middle East, also did not respond to a request for comment.
Expected attack
According to shipping and trade sources, the vessel left Dar es Salaam in Tanzania 8 days ago to go to Fujairah Port in the UAE and shut down the ship’s automatic tracking system. According to observers, This shows that the ship has anticipated the possibility of an attack.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Office pointed out that an unnamed ship was attacked at 07:00 GMT on the 29th.
In a further report at 23:40 that day, the office talked about the occurrence of the second attack and recommended that sailing ships avoid the area.
Assessments indicate that the two attacks are likely to target the same ship.
According to reports, when the first attack occurred, witnesses at the scene saw a drone. It is understood that the drone fired a flare and fell into the water. The nature of the second attack is unclear, but it is understood that it was this attack that caused the explosion on the ship.
According to sources, there are 27 people of different nationalities on the ship, including Romanians, Russians, Chinese, Ukrainians, Filipinos, Georgians and Indians.
This is the fifth time an Israeli operator-related ship attack has occurred since the “Helios Ray” ship was attacked on February 25 this year.
The attack occurred as tensions related to the Iran nuclear agreement were escalating, and negotiations on the resumption of the nuclear agreement were also stalled in Vienna. Since the former US President Trump decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018, a series of ship attacks have occurred in the region.
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