Israel
Friday, July 30, 2021 at 3:54 am | כ א אב תשפ א
Updated Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:41 am
DUBAI (AP) -
Updated Friday, July 30, 2021 at 11:41 am
This J2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker
Mercer Street. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire came under attack off the coast of Oman, Friday. (Johan Victor via AP)
An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker
Ship tied to Israel billionaire reportedly attacked off Oman
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Last Updated: Jul 30, 2021, 03:30 PM IST
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Synopsis
Other Israel-linked ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults.
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A silhouette sculpture of an Israeli soldier standing guard is seen next to a signs pointing out distance to different cities on Mount Bental next to the Syrian border on May 10, 2018
An oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, as details about the incident remained few.
Ship tied to Israeli billionaire attacked off Oman, 2 killed
JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press
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1of3This Jan. 2, 2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, July 30, 2021, as details about the incident remained few. (Johan Victor via AP)Johan Victor/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3This Jan. 2, 2016 photo shows the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Mercer Street off Cape Town, South Africa. The oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, July 30, 2021, as details about the incident remained few. (Johan Victor via AP)Johan Victor/APShow MoreShow Less
DUBAI: An Israeli-owned merchant ship reportedly came under attack off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, the British military said on Friday, offering few other details about the incident.
Israeli officials did not immediately acknowledge the incident, but it comes amid heightened tensions between it and Iran as negotiations remain stalled over Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Other Israeli ships have been targeted in recent months as well amid a shadow war between the two nations, with Israeli officials blaming the Islamic Republic for the assaults.
An brief initial statement from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said an investigation was underway into the incident, which it described as happening late Thursday night just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah. The location is over 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Oman’s capital, Muscat.
A Briton is among two crew members killed when an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire was attacked off the coast of Oman.
The M/T Mercer Street, a Japanese-owned ship managed by a company owned by billionaire Eyal Ofer, was targeted late Thursday near the island of Masirah in the Arabian Sea - with an Israeli official saying the vessel was hit by a drone.
Zodiac Maritime, the company which operates the ship, said two crew members were killed during an attack by unknown assailants including one British national and one Romanian.
Analysts said the attack bore all the hallmarks of tit-for-tat exchanged in the shadow war between Israel and Iran, which has seen frequent attacks on vessels around the Arabian peninsula in the last three years.