Iran attacks ship owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer – report

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps launched a drone attack against an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf last Friday, BBC Persia reported.

The IRGC reportedly launched Shahad 136 suicide drones at an Israeli ship, the Campo Square, owned by businessman Eyal Ofer in the Gulf. The ship in question belonged to the Zodiac Shipping Company.

American military officials and other high-ranking military sources told BBC Farsi that several drones and vessels from Iran were used to attack the shipping vessel, Campo Square.

The tanker, which is Israeli-owned, sails under the Liberian flag. It is associated with the Zodiac Shipping Company and others based in the UK as well as Greece.

The Campo Square is listed in public data banks as linked to Zodiac Shipping, which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

A part of an unmanned aerial vehicle, what Ukrainian military authorities described as an Iranian made suicide drone Shahed-136 and which was shot down near the town of Kupiansk, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, is seen in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released September 13, 2022 (credit: THE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

However, the Zodiac Shipping Company told BBC that the Campo Square tanker did not belong to the fleet managed by Zodiac and that the vessel was now managed by Elston Company in Greece.

Persian Gulf security tensions

Security incidents and tensions reached new peaks in the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea in 2018. Several oil tankers were attacked and seized, and were followed by other security incidents of a similar nature. The attacks were frequently carried out by Yemen’s Houthis, who are allied with Iran and has been held responsible.

In addition to military sources in the Middle East, American military forces stated that they believed the Shahad 136 drone was used in Friday evening’s attack. This weapon has been used in similar attacks in the region and have been reportedly used by Russia in the Ukraine war, BBC Farsi reported.

This drone has created widespread cause for concern about what else Iran’s military is up to.

BBC reported that the Campo Square oil tanker attack can be seen as a “sign of intensification of Iran’s threatening actions against shipping in the region.”

This attack on Campo Square is not the first of its kind. It is the third ship Zodiac Shipping and Ofer to be attacked within the last two years.

Recurring attacks against Ofer’s vessels

Other tankers associated with the same business partner, the Pacific Zicron and the Mercer Street oil tankers, were attacked in the same vicinity. Both American and Israeli officials have accused Iran of incitement of those attacks.

Iran reportedly denied responsibility for the fatal attack on the Mercer Street tanker. Iran also referred to the Pacific Zicron attack as part of Zionist propaganda and part of a “media scandal.”

Following the report of the attack against Campo Square, a Saudi news outlet reported that a similar attack had been carried out against a ship owned by the United Arab Emirates, in the same vicinity and at the same time.