Israeli defense officials believe Iran is behind an attack on a cargo ship in the northern Indian Ocean on Saturday, although an official Israeli response to the incident was still forthcoming Sunday morning.
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The Iranians, it appears, thought the vessel, identified as the Liberia-flagged CSAV Tyndall, was under the ownership of Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. However, Ofer sold the ship to a foreign buyer months ago.
Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al-Mayadeen reported that a fire had broken out on the ship as it was en route to the United Arab Emirates from Saudi Arabia.
No one was wounded in the alleged attack and the ship sustained only minor damage. No organization or country has claimed responsibility.
Hebrew-language news outlet N12 said the vessel was owned by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company that later said it did not own or manage the CSAV Tyndall.
Iranian media widely reported the attack, citing Al Mayadeen, which was among the first news outlets to report an attack on a commercial vessel owned by an Israeli company in April.
Iran's largest navy ship sank in early June after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman, in what appeared to be the latest incident in a region of sensitive waterways, where arch-enemies Iran and Israel have traded accusations of attacks on each other's vessels.
In March, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had targeted at least a dozen Iranian oil ships bound for Syria since 2019.
Multiple unnamed officials from the US and the Middle East told the WSJ that the vessels had been hit out of concern that oil profits from the cargo would go to fund extremism in the Middle East.
Last Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi issued a general warning against attacking Israel. "Let anyone who tries harming the State of Israel know – any enemy activity, near or far, will be met with a significant response. Overt or covert."
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