An attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire killed two crew members off Oman in the Arabian Sea, authorities said Friday, marking the first fatalities after years of assaults targeting shipping in the region.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Thursday night raid on the Liberian-flagged tanker Mercer Street. However, a US official said it appears a so-called “suicide drone” was used in the attack, raising the possibility that a government or a militia group was behind it.
The US Navy rushed to the scene following the attack and was escorting the tanker to a safe harbour, a London-based ship management company said on Friday. The assault represented the worst-known maritime violence so far in regional attacks on shipping since 2019.
