I24 News:
An explosion that hit an Israeli cargo ship on Friday is believed to have been caused by a missile fired from an Iranian ship, Channel 12 reported on Friday citing unnamed defense officials.
The MV HELIOS RAY, a boat owned by Israeli businessman Rami Ungar, “was the victim of an explosion in the Gulf of Oman,” Dryad Global, a company specializing in maritime security, said hours after the incident.
Maritime security firm Dryad Global said the MV HELIOS RAY was a vehicle carrier owned by Helios Ray Ltd, an Israeli firm registered in the Isle of Man.
“Whilst details regarding the incident remain unclear it remains a realistic possibility that the event was the result of asymmetric activity by Iranian military,” Dryad said in a report on the incident.
The US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said it was aware of the incident and monitoring the situation.
Transporting a cargo of motor vehicles, the ship was traveling between Dammam, a port city in eastern Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, at the time of the explosion in northwest Oman, the company said.
Dryad Global had immediately suggested that Iran could be responsible for the explosion, the incident taking place amid heightened tensions between the Jewish state and the Islamic Republic.
The explosion made “two holes of about a meter and a half in diameter,” Ungar later confirmed in a statement to Israeli public broadcaster Kan News, adding the damage was likely caused “by a missile or by mines attached to the boat.”
Reacting to the news that his boat was damaged, Ungar said that something like this “has never happened to me before” and looks forward to what authorities reveal in their investigation.
According to the shipowner, this explosion could be linked to previous attacks on ships in the region.
“I think this is part of the game between Iran and the United States, which is why they are hitting Western ships,” he said.
US officials are expected to inspect the ship upon arrival in Dubai on Saturday morning, Channel 13 reported.
