A drone hit a merchant ship in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, causing damage but no injuries, two shipping agencies said, one of which said the ship was linked to Israel.
According to the British maritime safety authority UKMTO, the attack off the Indian coast, which was not immediately reported, caused a fire on board, which was later extinguished.
The British company Ambrey, in turn, stated that “the Liberian-flagged tanker was connected to Israel” and that it was traveling from Saudi Arabia to India.
Both authorities said the attack occurred 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval, India. The Indian Navy said it was responding to a request for assistance.
“An aircraft was dispatched to the scene and was able to reach the ship and ensure the safety of the ship and its crew,” an Indian Navy official told AFP.
“An Indian Navy warship has also been deployed to the spot to provide necessary assistance,” he added.
Although responsibility for this attack could not immediately be determined, it follows a series of drone and missile attacks carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels backed by Iran on a key shipping route in recent weeks against the backdrop of the war between Israel Red Sea and the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The USA also accuses Iran of carrying out attacks near its waters.
An Israeli cargo ship was damaged in a suspected drone strike by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the Indian Ocean last month, according to a U.S. official.
“As the crimes continue, America and its allies must expect the emergence of new resistance forces and the closure of other waterways,” said Mohammad Reza Naqdi, deputy coordinator of the (IRGC), quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
“They must soon expect that the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and other waterways will be closed to them,” he warned.
Attacks on shipping since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7 have prompted major shipping companies to divert their ships to the southern tip of Africa for far-flung voyages despite higher fuel costs.
Houthi rebels, who control large swaths of Yemeni territory including the capital Sanaa, have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks targeting 10 commercial ships from more than 35 different countries, according to the Pentagon.
The Houthis reiterate that they will continue their attacks unless enough food and medicine return to the besieged Gaza Strip.