Illustrative image (Credit: AFP)
A ship belonging to an Israeli was attacked by an Iranian-made drone in the Indian Ocean on Friday, a US military official said on Saturday.
"We are aware of information that a Shahed 136 (Bien Shahed) drone hit a ship in the Indian Ocean," the official told AFP, adding that the ship sustained damage but there were no injuries on board.
The attack follows threats by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels against Israeli ships and ships belonging to Israeli allies sailing in the Red Sea. On Sunday, these rebels announced the seizure in the Red Sea of a cargo ship with 25 crew members, chartered by a Japanese group and flying the Bahamas flag, in retaliation for Israel's war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
In recent weeks, the Houthi rebels have launched several drones and missiles in the direction of Israeli territory.
According to a maritime source, the ship attacked on Friday was a "Maltese-flagged container ship" operated by "a company affiliated to Israel … which would explain why it was targeted." According to this source, prior to the attack, transmissions to locate the vessel had been interrupted shortly after it left the Gulf port of Jebel Ali, under the jurisdiction of Dubai.