Tel Aviv blamed Tehran for an attack on an Israeli ship off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman at dawn on Friday, in which two of the ship's crew were killed, while the Iranian Al-Alam TV channel said that the attack came in response to a previous Israeli bombing of areas in Syria.

Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime said in a statement on Friday that an attack on a tanker it operated had killed two crew members, one British and one Romanian.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid blamed Iran for the attack, saying it "deserves a harsh response."

"Iran is not only Israel's problem, but it is a source of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms us all," Lapid added in a statement. "The world should not remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also harms freedom of navigation."

Several ships have been attacked in the Gulf waters during the past months due to the escalation of tension between Iran and Israel (Al-Jazeera)

intelligence reports

And the French Press Agency quoted an Israeli official as saying that Tehran "sows violence and destruction", and considered that the Islamic Republic "poses a problem not only to Israel, but to the entire world," and that its behavior "constitutes a threat to freedom of navigation and global trade."

The Israeli official warned that the campaign against the Iranians is continuing.

European and US sources familiar with intelligence reports said that Iran was the main suspect in the incident, which a US defense official said appeared to have been carried out by a drone, but the sources stressed that governments were still seeking compelling evidence.

The website of the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the assessments underway in Israel indicate that there were two attacks on the ship, separated by a few hours. The first did not cause damage, but the second hit the command and control room, resulting in the two deaths.

The website quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying that "it will be difficult for Israel to turn a blind eye" to the attack.

Iran and Israel have accused each other of attacking their ships in recent months, as tensions have risen in the Gulf region since the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran in 2018 after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal signed between Iran and major powers in 2015.


Iranian reply

Reuters quoted Iranian Al-Alam TV as saying that the attack on the Israeli ship - owned by the wealthy Israeli Ofer family - was a response to Israel's attack on the Dabaa airport in Syria.

Damascus had announced last week that Israeli missiles had targeted military sites in the Al-Qusayr area in the central province of Homs, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Israeli strikes had targeted military sites belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.

European and American intelligence sources also told the same agency that Iran is the main suspect in the attack on the Israeli ship, and the agency quoted a US military official as saying that the attack was carried out by a drone.

The Israeli Army Radio reported that the tanker was empty of cargo and was heading from Tanzania to the Emirati port of Fujairah, and the Zodiac Maritime Company announced that the ship sailed to a safe place, escorted by the US Navy.

Earlier, Britain's Maritime Trade Operations, which provides information on maritime security, said the attack was not an act of piracy.

The British authority stated that the ship was about 152 nautical miles (280 km) northeast of the Omani port of Duqm when the attack occurred.

A spokeswoman for the US State Department said Friday that Washington is disturbed by the attack on the Israeli tanker and is working with international partners to establish the facts about the circumstances of the accident.