An attack on Saturday targeted an Iranian tanker off the coastal town of Banias in Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).
It is the first such attack since the start of the war in Syria in 2011, according to the London-based Syrian NGO which has a vast network of sources in warring Syria.
OSDH was unable to immediately say whether it was a drone attack or a missile.
"It is also not known whether it is an Israeli attack or not," said OSDH director Rami Abdel Rahmane.
The Iranian tanker coming from Iran was stationary not far from the port of Banias at the time of the attack ”.
Ally of Bashar al-Assad's regime but an enemy of Israel
The Islamic Republic of Iran is an allied country of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria but an enemy of Israel.
Israel periodically targets Iranian positions in Syria.
And about ten days ago, Iran accused Israel of "sabotage" at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant.
In Damascus, the Ministry of Petroleum, quoted by the official agency Sana, affirmed that the fire broke out in one of the tanks of an unidentified oil tanker, hit "probably" by a drone attack, off Banias .
"A fire broke out in one of the tanks (...) after having been the target of a drone attack," the ministry said in a statement.
The fire is now "under control".
None of the sources reported casualties.
Israel says it seeks to prevent Iran from settling in Syria
A neighbor of Syria, since 2011 Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes, including with the help of drones, against positions of the Syrian power and its allies, Iranian troops and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, another enemy of the 'Hebrew State.
Israel says it seeks to prevent Iran from settling in Syria.
The Israeli military has rarely publicly acknowledged its strikes in Syria.
On Thursday, a Syrian officer was killed near Damascus in Israeli strikes according to OSDH, with Israel claiming to have responded to missile fire fired from Syria and fell in southern Israeli territory, near a nuclear facility.
World
Syria: Bashar al-Assad is candidate for the presidential election of May 26
World
Syria: US military strikes pro-Iran militias, at least 17 fighters killed
Israel
Iran
Syria
World