From the Liveblog of
Sunday, December 24, 2023
US says Iran attacked tanker off Indian coast with suicide drone
A chemical tanker struck Saturday off the coast of India was targeted “by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the Pentagon says.
The attack took place around 10 a.m. local time and caused no casualties aboard the Japanese-owned vessel, it says, adding that a fire was extinguished.
The US military “remains in communication with the vessel as it continues toward a destination in India,” the Pentagon statement adds.
The Pentagon statement says the Chem Pluto ship flew under a Liberian flag and was operated by a Dutch entity. A private security firm has earlier said it was “linked” to Israel.
Jerusalem also believes Tehran was directly behind the attack, according to Hebrew media Saturday.
The drone strike occurred 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast of India, it notes, adding that no US Navy vessels were in the vicinity.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strike, which came amid a flurry of drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on a vital shipping lane in the Red Sea.
On Friday, Washington said Iran has been “deeply involved” in the planning of the attacks.
