Reports indicate that two crew members on the Israeli-owned ship were killed during the attack; The attack occurred just under 200 miles from Oman’s capital city, Muscat; This is the first time that deaths have occurred amid the recent attacks on ships in the region.
During what is being reported as a drone attack on Thursday, two crew members of an Israeli-owned tanker ship were killed not far from the Gulf country of Oman. The attack reportedly took place less than two hundred miles from Muscat and is the first ship attack that has resulted in casualties in recent months. Furthermore, the attack indicated Iran is increasing its means to attack maritime targets.
Israel holds Iran responsible for the attack on the ship, which is known as Mercer Street.
According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, a pair of unnamed officials said that “the attack appeared to have been carried out by several unmanned Iranian drones that crashed into living quarters underneath the ship’s command center, or bridge.”
It is believed the attack may have been in response to recent Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria. The two crew members killed during the attack were from Great Britain and Romania.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid responded to the attack, stating, “Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms us all. The world must not be silent in the face of Iranian terrorism that also harms freedom of shipping.”
The two countries have exchanged maritime attacks on large ships many times in recent months in several locations. According to a separate report by Reuters, an anonymous Israeli official said that it’s likely the Jewish state will respond.
