Ship Attacked by Unidentified Force, But No Crew Reported Dead After Assault from Mysterious Weapon
A cargo ship that had once been owned by an Israeli firm was attacked Saturday in the northern Indian Ocean, with speculation running heavy that the attack was carried out by Iran.
It is unclear who is behind the attack, and what type of weapon was used to attack the Tyndall.
Reuters, quoting Israel’s N12 TV channel, reported that the ship may have been struck by a missile.
No injuries were reported, and the ship was able to continue on its way.
Recent “unknowns” of #MidEast
•An Iranian nuclear site hit by “unknown” attackers
•Drones target “unknown” locations in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan
•An Israeli ship hit by an “unknown” weapon in Indian Ocean— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) July 3, 2021
According to the Times of Israel, a fire broke out on the ship after it was hit.
Israeli defense officials said they believe Iran was behind the attack, according to Haaretz.
The Liberia-flagged Tyndall, departed from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and was headed toward Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen reported, according to the Times of Israel.
The ship at one time had been owned by Zodiac Maritime, a London-based company belonging to Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
The vessel was owned by the firm, it said, but had been sold months ago.
“Following reports in the media, we can confirm that the vessel CSAV Tyndall is not owned or operated by Zodiac Maritime, which is a UK ship management company,” the company said in a statement.
Haaretz reported that the ship did not fly an Israeli flag and its crew was not Israeli.
#Israeli security officials estimate that #Iran is behind the attack on the vessel.https://t.co/6khIMxTnQn
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) July 3, 2021
No official claim of responsibility has been made.
In recent months, Iran and Israel have engaged in a shadow war of attacks on each other’s shipping.
In March, an Israeli cargo ship was hit by a missile while sailing in the Gulf of Oman, according to The Times of Israel. Iran was blamed for the attack, which injured no one.
A similar attack took place in February.
But the attacks have not been one-sided. Israel is suspected of attacking several dozen Iranian oil tankers and an Iranian container ship that was attacked in the Mediterranean Sea.
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