The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that an Israeli-owned container ship was in the Arabian Sea, sailing from Tanzania to India, when it was hit by a small missile. No injuries were reported but the vessel sustained minor damage. The ship was identified as the LORI, which is owned by Israeli businessman Udi Angel and registered in Liberia. The ship is continuing on to its destination where it will undergo repairs.
The route taken by the Israeli ship #lori immediately after being attacked. There are no casualties or injuries, the ship continued its journey towards India pic.twitter.com/6MdN6hN02f
— Francesco (@FrankCalcagno) March 25, 2021
Israeli security sources believe the launch was a deliberate Iranian attack. Officials believe the attack was in retaliation for an attack on an Iranian-owned ship near the coast of Syria, which the Iranian government attributed to Israel.
This is the second such attack against an Israeli-owned vessel. Last month, another Israeli-owned cargo ship, a vehicle-carrier named MV Helios Ray, suffered a mysterious explosion while sailing in the Gulf of Oman.