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Dubai (AFP)
On Sunday, an Israeli ship that was exposed to an explosion in the Gulf of Oman arrived this week at Port Rashid in Dubai, which is among the largest in the world, according to Agence France-Presse correspondents.
And it was impossible to reach the white and blue ship in this port of the United Arab Emirates, which concluded an agreement in 2020 to normalize relations with the Hebrew state.
The conservative Iranian newspaper “Kayhan” reported on Sunday that the ship was likely targeted by the “axis of resistance,” referring to the Islamic Republic and its allies in the region.
The Israeli freighter “MV Helios Rai” was apparently headed from Dammam in Saudi Arabia to Singapore when it exploded on Thursday in the northwestern Gulf of Oman, according to London-based Dryad Global Group, which deals with maritime security.
The Gulf of Oman lies between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman at the exit of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil passes, and ships belonging to a coalition led by the United States sail through its waters.
“Kayhan” wrote on its cover Sunday, citing anonymous “military experts”, that “the target ship in the Gulf of Oman is a military ship belonging to the Israeli army” and that it was “collecting information on the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, when it was pointed at a road. “Return”.
He added that “this spy ship, although it was sailing secretly, could have fallen into the trap of one of the branches of the resistance axis”, without further details.
And he considered that the ship was unaware “that the Persian Gulf is an area controlled by the forces of the axis of resistance.”
– tension –
According to the official Israeli channel Kan, the ship is owned by Israeli businessman Rami Ongar, who confirmed that the explosion caused “two holes with a diameter of approximately one and a half meters”, and that “it is not yet clear” if it was “caused” by a missile or mines placed on the ship.
The explosion did not cause any casualties among the ship’s crew, nor did it damage the engine, according to the same source.
The “Dryad Global” hinted that Iran may be responsible for the explosion, especially since the incident occurred in light of the growing tension between Israel and Iran.
The United States has previously accused Iran of attacking ships and tankers in the Gulf region, especially in 2019, which the Islamic Republic denied.
On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the “preliminary conclusion” of the Hebrew state is that Iran is likely responsible for the explosion on board the ship.
He explained to Kan that, “the location of the ship, relatively close to Iran at the time, leads to the belief that the Iranians (responsible for the explosion), but this matter requires further scrutiny.”
“It is a preliminary conclusion that takes into account the geographical proximity (to Iranian lands) and the context,” he said.
Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said on Sunday the explosion occurred “to remind us that Iran does not only pose a nuclear threat, but also spreads terror, carries out terrorist acts and strikes civilian targets.”
Iran accused its arch nemesis, Israel, of being behind many of the attacks, most recently in November, when prominent nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed near Tehran.
© 2021 AFP
