Israeli archaeologists have announced a groundbreaking discovery – the remains of what is believed to be the oldest shipwreck found in deep waters. Hundreds of intact amphorae, ancient storage jars dating back approximately 3,300 years, were discovered 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the northern coast of Israel, resting at a depth of 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) on the seabed.

"This is both the first and the oldest ship found in the Eastern Mediterranean deep sea, ninety kilometers from the nearest shore. This is a world-class history-changing discovery: This find reveals to us as never before the ancient mariners' navigational skills," said Jacob Sharvit, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority's (IAA) marine unit, noting that it challenges previous academic assumptions that trade during the late Bronze Age was conducted by hugging coastlines within sight of land. "From this geographical point, only the horizon is visible all around. To navigate they probably used the celestial bodies, by taking sightings and angles of the sun and star positions." The IAA believes the ship likely sank due to a storm or pirate attack.

The wreck was initially spotted by submersible robots belonging to the oil and gas company Energean, during a routine survey for potential new energy sources off the Israeli coast. Dr. Karnit Bahartan Head of the Environmental Staff at Energean stated, "Cameras picked up what seemed to be a large pile of jugs heaped on the seafloor."

Due to the immense significance of this discovery, Energean assembled a team that collaborated closely with experts from the Israel Antiquities Authority to meticulously examine the shipwreck. They utilized their "Energean Star" vessel, equipped for deep-sea operations. The company's technicians devised a unique and intricate plan, even constructing a specialized tool to extract artifacts while minimizing the risk of damage to the entire assemblage. Over the course of two days at sea, the Energean team retrieved two vessels, each from opposite ends of the ship, to minimize disturbances to the intact assemblage of the boat and its cargo.

The two amphorae are believed to have been used by the Canaanite people who inhabited an area stretching from modern-day Turkey to Egypt. "The vessel type identified in the cargo was designed as the most efficient means of transporting relatively cheap and mass-produced products such as oil, wine, and other agricultural products such as fruit. Finding such a great quantity of amphorae on board one single ship is testimony to significant commercial ties between their country of origin and the ancient Near Eastern lands on the Mediterranean coast," says Sharvit.

The discovered jars are expected to be displayed at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel in Jerusalem this summer.

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Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that Iran's alleged attack on a merchant ship in the Arabian Sea last week was "a stepping-up of the escalation" of hostilities by Iran, and called for international action.

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Gantz addressed Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and said the drone strike on the Mercer Street that left two crew members dead – one from the United Kingdom and one from Romania – was "in violation of international law and human morality." He charged that Iran was behind at least five attacks on international shipping in the last year.

The United States, Britain and Israel have blamed Iran for the fatal attack on the Israeli-linked oil tanker. Iran denies involvement.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Iran and its militia allies have used so-called "suicide" drones in attacks previously. The region has seen a rise in attacks on commercial vessels in the aftermath of the disintegration of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

"This is exactly the reason why we must act now against Iran, which is not only striving toward nuclear arms, but is also bringing about a dangerous arms race and intends to destabilize the Middle East with terrorist militias who are armed with hundreds of drones in Iran, Yemen, Iraq and other countries in the region," Gantz said.

"Drones have also attacked oil factories in Saudi Arabia. The latest attack on the oil tanker MV Mercer Street which left two dead in violation of international law is a step forward for them," Gantz said.

Gantz said that any future agreement between world powers and Iran to rein in its nuclear program must also address Iranian's "aggression in the region and harming both innocent people and to the global economy."

"This is not a future threat, rather a tangible and immediate danger," he said.

Gantz also said that the threat Iran posed would likely increase once Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi wassworn in on Aug. 5.

"Iran under the executioner Raisi, who takes office this week, will be more dangerous to the world, more destructive to the region and will strive to become an existential threat to Israel," he said.

"We will work to eliminate such a threat. Iran's aggression in the region in general and on the naval front in particular is intensifying: in the past year there have been no fewer than five attacks against international ships, some using aerial drones manufactured by the military industry," Gantz continued.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration was "confident that Iran carried out this attack."

"It follows a pattern of similar attacks by Iran, including past incidents with explosive drones," he told reporters at the State Department. "There is no justification for this attack on a peaceful vessel on a commercial mission, international waters rise action is a direct threat to freedom of navigation and commerce, took the lives of innocent sailors."

Blinken said the US was in close contact with the UK, Israel and Romania and "there will be a collective response." He did not elaborate on what that response might be.

Part of this article was first published by i24NEWS

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An Israeli-owned cargo ship that suffered a mysterious explosion last week has left Dubai's port and was transiting the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, satellite tracking data showed. The suspected attack has raised tensions in the region.

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The giant MV Helios Ray, a Bahamian-flagged roll-on, roll-off vehicle cargo ship, was sailing along the Omani coast toward the Arabian Sea, according to satellite-tracking data from website MarineTraffic.com, days after docking in Dubai for repairs. Overnight, the vessel passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded by sea flows. Its destination remained unclear.

Last week, a blast struck the cargo ship in the same waterway, raising alarms about ship security in the Mideast. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Israel's regional foe Iran of attacking the ship. Iran swiftly denied the charge.

A United Nations ship database identified the vessel's owners as a Tel Aviv-based firm called Ray Shipping Ltd.

Abraham Ungar, 74, who goes by "Rami," is the founder of Ray Shipping Ltd., and is known as one of the richest men in Israel. He made his fortune in shipping and construction.

Tensions between Iran and the West have escalated in recent weeks as Iran accelerates its nuclear program, seeking to pressure the United States to grant sanctions relief it received under its tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. In the current standoff, each side is insisting the other move first to return to the deal, which former US President Donald Trump abandoned nearly three years ago.

"If there is a strong will," reviving the atomic accord "will be very easy and can be done in a couple of days ... it can be done within a week," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated in a televised speech Wednesday.

"Yet we have not seen a single serious step taken by the US," he said.

It remains unclear what caused the explosion, which reportedly punched two holes in the vessel's port side and two on its starboard side, just above the waterline. The incident recalled the summer of 2019, when the US military blamed Iran for a series of suspected attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. The Navy had alleged that Iran used limpet mines – designed to be attached magnetically to a ship's hull – to strike some of the vessels. Iran denied any role in the suspected assaults.

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The cargo ship, "Artenos," set sail from the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in the country's south on Oct. 6 and crossed the Suez Canal on Oct. 14, arriving in Syria at 2 a.m. Thursday morning.

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The company allegedly operating the Iranian ship, Omid Darya, is currently placed on a sanctions list by the US Treasury Department for supposedly providing maritime services to the Iranian government.

Could the reported attack on an Iranian-owned oil tanker be a false flag? 'Impossible to tell at this point,' @AcrossTheBay tells @DerrickeDennis, but 'not out of the question that #Iran would use this as a pretext for something ugly.': pic.twitter.com/wffqWYp5kz

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) October 12, 2019

Bandar Abbas port is known as a commercial hub for the shipping of advanced technologies and is considered an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stronghold.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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