Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker in mid-February.
An attack on the Liberian-flagged Campo Square was confirmed on Saturday by the ship's captain, who said it was lightly damaged by an airborne object on Feb. 10 while sailing through the Arabian Sea.
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Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. "Last week Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and harmed the international freedom of navigation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting. "Iran is trying relentlessly to attack Israel and its citizens wherever they are in the world. Iran's attacks will not weaken us," Netanyahu added. He also may have made an indirect reference to the recent attack on Damascus, for which Syria blames Israel. According to unverified reports, the target of the airstrikes on Saturday night was Iranian assets in the capital.
Video: Reuters
"We will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and we will not allow it to entrench on our northern border. We are doing – and will do – everything to defend our people and we are responding forcefully to the attacks against us," the prime minister said.
Regional defense and security sources have said they suspected the assault on the Israeli-linked vessels was carried out by Iran, which did not comment on the incident. Tehran has rejected accusations it was behind similar attacks in the past few years.
British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said unmanned aerial systems had attacked two tankers and one bulk carrier in the Arabian Sea and assessed that Tehran had mounted the attack. Two of the merchant vessels were Israeli-owned and one was Emirati, it said.
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