Iran launched missile attack on Israeli cargo ship, accuses Israeli media -

Jerusalem: A missile attack was launched on an Israeli cargo ship sailing from Tanzania to the Mundra port in India. As per the received information, the ship suffered damages in the attack. Israeli media accused that the missile used in the attack was of Iranian make and Iran was behind the attack. Meanwhile, Israeli analysts are expressing concerns that the tension between Israel and Iran in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean regions has reached alarming levels. Lori, a cargo ship belonging to the XT Management Limited, based in Haifa, left the Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania on the 21st of March. On Thursday evening, while the ship was in the Arabian Sea, it was hit by a missile. Israeli security agency informed that the vessel suffered damages in the attack, but no casualties were reported. The cargo ship is continuing its voyage and will soon reach the Mundra port in Gujarat, India. The vessel will be repaired at the port.

Israeli news channel accused that an Iran-made missile was used for the attack. As per the Israeli news channel, because of the nature of the attack, the possibility of Iranian involvement cannot be denied. Other media in Israel also has started accusing Iran of the attack on the cargo ship, Lori. Israel has not directly accused Iran on the official level, but Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz responded that Iranian efforts to target Israeli citizens and interests are continuing.

A month ago, a suspicious explosion had been reported on the Israeli ship, MV HELIOS RAY, in the Gulf of Oman. Israel had accused that Iran was responsible for the attack. Israel had reminded of attacks on other freight ships and oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in the year 2019, supporting the accusation.

Reports of an Iranian ship being attacked in the Mediterranean Sea region also had been received following the Israeli ship’s attack. A leading US newspaper had accused that Israel was responsible for the attack. Moreover, the newspaper claimed that Israel had carried out attacks on 12 Iranian ships carrying weapons, fuel and other material in the last two years. After this, Iran, too, had expressed annoyance over the Israeli attacks, and an Iranian military official had said that soon, there would be retaliation against Israel.

Meanwhile, Iran has not accepted the attack’s responsibility, on Thursday, on the Israeli ship in the Arabian Sea. But as per Israeli analysts, looking at the intensity of attacks on Israeli and Iranian vessels, the tension between the two countries has reached alarming levels since the last few weeks.