:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/O3DZBIQCF5C2XORQU2OPUBHLNA.jpg)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday blamed Iran for an attack on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf.
The incident “harms freedom of international shipping”, Netanyahu told ministers at a weekly cabinet meeting.
Eletson, the Greek shipping services company, said the ship Campo Square, owned by a Liberian company and linked to the British company Zodiac Maritime Ltd., was hit by an airborne object on February 10th while in the Arabian Sea, approximately 300 nautical miles off the coasts of India and Oman.
“We can confirm that both the vessel and crew are safe, the emailed statement said. “There is minor damage to the vessel.”
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/2DFVBOW3LIQHQ3MAY5QVQFGPJI.jpg)
:quality(70):focal(2632x1192:2642x1202)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/EQ35FG5QEOKSTKYCC3DVFWOYHI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/2IWCW6CNEXD4DH5W33LBMRMAWY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/EOH5RFFZKIH32WXOURZHBDIBCI.jpg)
Zodiac is part of Ofer Global, of which Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer is chairman.
Netanyahu’s noting of the attack was the first Israeli response to a BBC report on the incident. In 2021, Iran and Israel traded multiple accusations of shipping attacks in the Persian Gulf, and Friday’s report was the first in months and may indicate the start of a further rise in tensions.
The Israeli leader also said Iran attacked an American base in Syria on February 18th. The Syrian Arab News Agency reported on Sunday that five people, including a Syrian soldier, were killed when Israel carried out missile strikes on residential districts in Damascus.
“Iran is not halting its aggressive actions,” Netanyahu said.