An Israeli-owned ship was attacked by an Iranian-made drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday. The attack comes after threats from Yemeni Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, against Israeli and Israeli-allied ships sailing in the Red Sea.
An Israeli-owned ship was attacked by an Iranian-made drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday, a US military official said on Saturday. “We are aware of reports that a Shahed 136 (Bien Shahed) drone hit a ship in the Indian Ocean,” the official told AFP, adding that the boat suffered damage but that There were no injuries on board.
Threats from Yemeni Houthi rebels
The attack comes after threats from Yemeni Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, against Israeli and Israeli-allied ships sailing in the Red Sea. These rebels announced on Sunday the seizure in the Red Sea of a cargo ship with 25 crew members on board, chartered by a Japanese group and flying the flag of the Bahamas, in retaliation for the war waged by Israel against Palestinian Hamas in Gaza.
In recent weeks, Houthi rebels have launched several drones and missiles towards Israeli territory. According to a maritime source, the boat attacked on Friday is a “Maltese-flagged container ship” and the vessel is operated by “a company affiliated with Israel (…) which would explain why it was targeted”.
According to this source, before the attack, transmissions allowing the location of this ship had been interrupted shortly after its departure from the port of Jebel Ali, part of Dubai in the Gulf.