The drone that hit a chemical tanker off the coast of India on Saturday was “fired from Iran,” the Pentagon said, in the latest sign of escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas.
No casualties were reported from the drone attack on the Japanese-owned vessel, but a fire is believed to have caused damage.
Ambrey, a British maritime security firm, said that the “Israel-affiliated” tanker was en route to India from Saudi Arabia when it came under attack. The incident took place just 200 nautical miles from the coast of India.
It was the first time the Pentagon has openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.
A spate of attacks on vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas have all been claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control large swathes of Yemen. The Houthis have vowed to attack any Israel-affiliated ships in the key shipping route, or any vessels heading towards an Israeli port.
The Houthis have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries, according to the Pentagon.