JERUSALEM — An oil tanker managed by an Israeli-owned shipping firm was attacked on Thursday night off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, according to the firm and three Israeli officials. Two of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters, said the attack appeared to have been carried out by several unmanned Iranian drones that crashed into living quarters underneath the ship’s command center, or bridge. The incident was apparently the latest salvo in a maritime shadow war between Iran and Israel, and the first attack known to have killed civilians. The Israeli-owned firm, Zodiac Maritime, said that the two crew members killed were from Britain and Romania, and that on Friday afternoon the vessel was sailing under the protection of an American naval escort. A U.S. Defense Department official said that two American Navy vessels had responded to a distress call but were not escorting the ship.

Source: International New York Times July 30, 2021 13:59 UTC