Two dead after ship linked to Israeli billionaire is attacked off Oman coast
- No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street
- An Israeli security official alleged, without providing evidence, that an Iranian drone had attacked the ship
An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said on Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, US Navy explosive experts said on Saturday that they believe a “drone strike” hit the tanker. An Israeli security official alleged, without providing evidence, that an Iranian drone had attacked the ship.
The US Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbour, a London-based ship management company said on Friday.
The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019. The US, Israel and others have blamed the attacks on Iran amid the unravelling of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Iran now appears poised to take an even tougher approach with the West as the country prepares to inaugurate a hard-line protégé of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as president next week.
The attack on Thursday night targeted the tanker just northeast of the Omani island of Masirah, over 300km (185 miles) southeast of Oman’s capital, Muscat.
