The Israeli government has condemned an attempted armed attack that targeted a commercial vessel transiting the Arabian Sea earlier this month.
The Liberian-flagged Aframax crude oil tanker Campo Square was underway 300 nautical miles off the coast of Oman when it was struck by what Greek shipmanager Eletson said was an "airborne object" on the night (local time) of February 10.
The incident resulted in only minor damage, and the ship continued sailing on its scheduled voyage shortly afterwards. No injuries or pollution have been reported.
The BBC quoted Western security officials as saying that the object that struck the tanker was a Shahed 136, an Iranian-made aerial drone designed to be armed with explosives.
Speaking during his weekly address on Sunday, February 19, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran was responsible for the attack and that the incident "harms freedom of international shipping."
The same claim of Iranian involvement was made by an unnamed US military official to BBC reporter Nafiseh Kohnavard.
Campo Square is owned by a Liberia-based affiliate of shipmanagement company Zodiac Maritime, which is chaired by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
