Israel paper claims ship ‘attacked’ in Gulf of Oman

An Israeli newspaper claims that a vessel owned by the occupying regime has been “attacked” in the Gulf of Oman, the latest in a series of back-to-back Israeli-sourced claims about alleged maritime incidents.

The Times of Israel carried the report on Thursday, citing other “media reports.” It specified the vessel as “Israeli-owned Liberian-flagged container ship Lori,” purporting that the ship had “come under missile fire” earlier in the day.

“No one was hurt in the incident,” the paper said, and added the purported ship that had departed from Tanzania continued on its way to an intended destination in India.

Israel’s Channel 12, meanwhile, claimed that “Iran was suspected of being behind the attack,” without providing any proof or further information.

Israeli officials and the regime’s propaganda machine have been specifically preoccupied with Iran over the past several months.

On February 26, the regime claimed that Iran had been behind an explosion that damaged an Israeli ship in the same maritime area.

A video recorded by Iranian drones that emerged subsequently showed, however, that the ship was actually not targeted from the outside. The footage clearly indicated that what appeared to be holes in the vessel’s hull had been created by some individuals on board.

Moving closer in time, Israeli Environmental “Protection” Minister Gila Gamliel claimed repeatedly earlier in March that Iran was behind “eco-terrorism” in the Mediterranean. Gamliel, the closest minister to the regime’s most determined Iran hawk Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed that a Libyan-flagged ship carrying Iranian oil had polluted the waters by releasing its crude there.

Even the Israeli minister for military affairs said he had come by no evidence that could substantiate such a claim. The branch of the international environmental organization Greenpeace in the occupied territories, also issued her a diatribe, calling the accusation "baseless at this stage in time."

Iran routinely and roundly spurns all such claims on the part of Tel Aviv that are surprisingly never accompanied by any evidence.

As its principled position and an inalienable part of its defensive doctrine, the Islamic Republic has also warned the regime that it would face it with the “toughest” response if it tried its hand at any miscalculation.

The Israeli allegations of a supposed Iran-led naval campaign come while the regime’s most reputable daily Ha’aretz reported last week that Tel Aviv had itself staged attacks “on several dozen Iranian oil tankers.” Also earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Israeli regime had been involved in a clandestine campaign of attacks on Iranian ships since 2019.

On March 10, a cargo ship belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRIS) Group was damaged after being targeted by a terrorist attack en route to Europe in the Mediterranean Sea.

An informed source later revealed that the Israeli regime was the prime suspect in the attack.

“Given the geographical location of the ship and the way it was targeted, one of the strong possibilities is that this terrorist act was carried out by the Zionist regime [of Israel],” the source told Nour News, an Iranian news outlet affiliated to the country's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk