Iran on Thursday fired a missile at an Israeli-owned ship in the Arabian Sea, Channel 12 reported.
The container ship, which was said to be on its way from Tanzania to India, was hit by a small projectile and sustained minimal damage, Channel 12 said. The ship was identified as the LORI, which is owned by Israeli businessman Udi Angel and registered in Liberia.
Israeli security sources believe the launch was a deliberate Iranian attack, the report said.
The incident was reported to Israel's security establishment and to the owners of the Haifa-based ship company, XT Management.
The ship will continue to India and will undergo damage assessment.
Officials believe the suspected attack was in retaliation for an attack on an Iranian-owned ship near the coast of Syria, which Tehran attributed to Israel.
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Israeli-owned Bahamian-flagged MV Helios Ray cargo ship docked in Dubai's Mina Rashid
(Photo: AFP)
Last month, another Israeli-owned cargo ship suffered a mysterious explosion while sailing in the same area.
At around the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for an explosion aboard an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman.
The vehicle-carrier MV Helios Ray was hit between the night of Feb. 25 and morning of Feb. 26 by a blast above the water line that a U.S official said ripped holes in both sides of its hull. An Israeli official said limpet mines were used.
Iran denied involvement at the time.
"We strongly reject this accusation," Saeed Khatibzadeh, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Tehran.