Page 11 - MEOG Week 08 2023

MEOG POLICY & SECURITY MEOG

Israel blames Iran for drone attack

on product tanker in Arabian Sea

ISRAEL / IRAN ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly trade attacks on respective targets on
has accused Iran of using an aerial drone to a regular basis. The attack on the Campo Square
attack an Israeli tanker on February 10. Iran has follows several attacks on Israeli-linked vessels in
denied any involvement in the incident. recent years. Iran has accused Israel of attacks on
In a cabinet meeting held in Jerusalem on Iranian military sites in Syria and in Iran itself.
February 15, Netanhayu told ministers that Earlier this year an Iranian weapons factory
“Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian near Isfahan was attacked by drones and Teh-
Gulf and harmed the international freedom of ran accused Israel of being responsible for that
navigation.” as well as a recent attack on a security complex
The Liberian-flagged Campo Square, linked in Damacus where Iranian personnel are active.
to Israeli shipowner Eyal Offer, was 550 km off Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria on a reg-
the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea at the time ular basis and has warned that Iran is working to
of the attack. develop a nuclear weapons capability. Efforts to
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nas- restart talks on bringing a halt to Iran’s nuclear
ser Kanaani said on February 20 that Tehran programme have stalled since the previous
“strongly rejects” Netanyahu’s allegation. “The agreement was abandoned by the US adminis-
Zionist regime has gotten used to levelling alle- tration of Donald Trump in 2018.
gations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, like Iran is known to be exporting drones on
its main ally, the United States government,” an ever-larger scale, and a recent report in
Kanaani said. Al-Monitor said Tehran’s Intelligence Ministry
The Greek ship management company Elet- is planning to sell 15,000 drones to China. Iran
son, which manages the Campo Square, said it is already known to be supplying drones to Rus-
believed the attack was carried out with a drone, sia, which is using them against civilian targets
but the vessel sustained minor damage and the in its war in Ukraine. The Iranian-backed Hou-
crew was uninjured. The Campo Square’s latest this in Yemen have also received aerial weapons
position was reported in the Red Sea. The vessel from Iran which are used in the country’s civil
is linked to Zodiac Maritime, which is owned by war against the Saudi Arabian-backed Sunni
Eyal. Several vessels linked to Israel have been government.
attacked by drones in recent weeks and among Iran is known to supply Lebanon’s Shia
the attacks was the Pacific Zircon, which was tar- Muslim political organisation Hezbollah and
geted by a drone in November 2022. That ship is the Palestinian organisation Islamic Jihad with
owned by Idan Ofer, Eyal’s brother. weapons. And earlier this year the US Naval
The attack on the tanker is viewed as another Institute reported on its website that Iran is con-
incident in the long-running undeclared war verting a merchant vessel to an aircraft carrier for
between the two countries, both of which drones and helicopters.™

Week 08 22•February•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P11