DAVID GRAY / AFP
A drone strike targeted “a Maltese-flagged container ship” in the Indian Ocean on Friday, November 25 (illustrative image).
INTERNATIONAL – A new ship owned by an Israeli has been targeted on the edge of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. After the attack by Houthi rebels on an Israeli-owned boat in the Red Sea on November 19th, there was a smaller attack in the Indian Ocean this Friday, November 24th.
According to an American military official who spoke to AFP, this time it was not a ship takeover and hostage-taking, but a drone strike carried out by Iran.
“We are aware of information that a Shahed 136 (Bien Shahed) drone has reached a ship in the Indian Ocean,” he said matter-of-factly. According to him, the boat was partially damaged, but no injuries were reported on board.
However, to explain this attack we must rely on maritime security company Ambrey, which states that the “Maltese-flagged container ship” attacked was a vessel operated by a French company. It is operated by “a company linked to Israel (…), which would explain why it was targeted.”
According to the same source, shortly after its departure, there was an interruption in the transmission of the container ship that had left the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai (which allowed the ship to be located).
Consequence of Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip
This motif has been observed several times since the Middle East conflict flared up again. Hamas allies are actually attacking ships belonging to Israel’s allies sailing in the Red Sea in retaliation for the war the Jewish state has been waging since the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Ambrey also states that Yemen’s Houthi rebels issued a warning this Saturday to an oil tanker traveling in the south of the Red Sea and estimates that an operation by these rebels against this ship is “probably imminent.” This tanker is currently traveling 59 miles southwest of Hodeida, Yemen.
On Sunday, November 19, Iran-backed Houthi rebels had already carried out a formidable operation against a ship owned by a British company but operated by a Japanese group. The merchant ship attacked belonged to an Israeli businessman.
You cannot view this content because:
- By subscribing, you have opted out of cookies related to third-party content. You will therefore not be able to play our videos, which require third-party cookies to function.
- You are using an ad blocker. We recommend you disable it to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases apply to you, contact us at [email protected].
In recent weeks, Houthi rebels, who have declared themselves members of the “Axis of Resistance,” have fired several drones and missiles into Israeli territory.
See also on HuffPost:
You cannot view this content because:
- By subscribing, you have opted out of cookies related to third-party content. You will therefore not be able to play our videos, which require third-party cookies to function.
- You are using an ad blocker. We recommend you disable it to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases apply to you, contact us at [email protected].