The crew was not hurt and the ship, possibly hit by a missile on Saturday, was not badly damaged and continued on its journey, Israel’s N12 Television said, citing unnamed sources within Israel’s defence establishment.
The defence officials said they were checking if Iranian forces were behind the alleged attack, according to N12.
Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen had reported the incident earlier. The channel said the ship was attacked with an unknown weapon.
Israeli media identified the container ship as the CSAV Tyndall and initially said it was owned by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-based international ship management company owned by Israeli tycoon Eyal Ofer. The company, however, issued a statement saying it no longer operated or owned the CSAV Tyndall.
Ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon showed the ship was last docked in Jeddah and was now off the coast of Dubai.
A UAE government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Saturday’s incident was the latest alleged attack in a region of sensitive waterways, where archenemies Iran and Israel have traded accusations of hits on each other’s vessels.
Israeli-owned vessels were attacked in the Gulf of Oman in February and April, with Israel blaming Iran for the explosions.
An Iranian cargo ship was meanwhile lightly damaged in an apparent mine attack in the Red Sea in April. The New York Times reported Israel had told the United States that it was behind the blast.
That same month, Iran reported an attack on its Natanz uranium enrichment plan, for which it blamed Israel.
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Reports saying that an "Israeli-owned" cargo ship had been targeted by a missile in the northern part of the Indian Ocean emerged earlier during the weekend. The vessel, according to reports, did not suffer major damage, and there were no injuries.
ReplyDeleteA Saturday attack targeting the cargo ship CSAV Tyndall, owned, until recently, by an Israeli company, could have been the result of a "miscalculation" by Iran, The New York Times reported, citing an anonymous Israeli national security official.
The official claimed that Tehran apparently possessed "faulty intelligence regarding the ownership of the vessel." According to a statement by the company Zodiac Maritime, led by the Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, the ship is no longer owned by the firm.
“Following reports in the media, we can confirm that the vessel CSAV Tyndall (Which was attacked in the Gulf) is not owned or operated by Zodiac Maritime, which is a UK ship management company", the company stated.
The NYT noted, referring to the database of the United Nations International Maritime Organization, that CSAV Tyndall is currently owned by another London-based firm, Polar 5 LTD.
The attack was reported earlier in the weekend, with suggestions emerging that Iran might have been behind the incident. Neither Tehran or Tel-Aviv have officially commented on the matter, but Israel's N12 TV channel, cited by Al Jazeera, reported that Israeli defense officials were investigating the possibility of the Islamic republic being involved.
The ship was attacked on Saturday north of the Indian Ocean, reportedly hit by a missile but ending up sustaining no major damage or injuries to its crew. The vessel was reported to be en route from Saudi Arabia's port of Jeddah to the UAE's Jebel Ali.
Suggestions that Tehran might be involved in the incident come as Iran and Israel, amid tense relations, target each other's vessels throughout the Middle East region. In April, Iranian general cargo ship the Saviz had been attacked in the Red Sea, with reports following shortly after about an attack against an Israeli ship targeted off the coast of the UAE.
The blame for the latter incident was put by Israel on Iran, with the Islamic republic not commenting. The Saviz incident was confirmed by Iran, with the NYT reporting that the Israeli forces notified Washington about the attack against the vessel.