Israeli Businessman's Ship Attacked by Iranian Drone in the Indian Ocean, Confirms American Official

A view of the British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship Galaxy Leader, near Queensland

FILE PHOTO: A view of the British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was reported to have been captured by Houthis in the southern Red Sea, in this handout image taken near Queensland, Australia November 27, 2018. Owen Foley/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Source: X80001

An Iranian drone targeted a container ship owned by Israeli billionaire Eidan Ofer in the Indian Ocean, as reported by the Associated Press.

The drone, identified as the "Shaheed 136" model, exploded and damaged the ship on the morning of Friday, November 24th. Fortunately, the crew was unharmed.

The vessel, sailing under the Maltese flag, is associated with Ofer's company. While a US official confirmed the incident, they did not specify the reasons for attributing the attack to Iran.

The Prime Minister's Office of Israel denied any connection to the ship and pointed to Iran, supporting Houthi rebels, as the responsible party.

Yemen's Houthi military spokesman previously declared their intention to target ships owned or managed by Israeli companies.

Maha Mehr