Israel has carried out a series of clandestine strikes on Iranian oil tankers and ships carrying weapons, according to revelations from Washington that cast fresh light on a series of naval incidents in recent years.
At least a dozen vessels, mostly carrying
Iranian oil to Syria and mainly hit by mines, have been damaged in Israeli attacks since late 2019,
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and other officials. The attacks, three in 2019, six last year and three more this year, took place in the Red Sea and Mediterranean, and possibly elsewhere.
They were part of Israel’s military campaign against the
Revolutionary Guard, the Iranian paramilitary organisation that oversees oil exports and supplies numerous militias throughout the Middle East.
However, they were undisclosed despite the chorus of condemnation that met similar attacks blamed on Iran that hit western shipping and, most recently, an Israeli oil car transport vessel over a similar period.
Although there is no confirmed connection, the revelations will also be linked by Israel’s critics to the oil spill that has devastated the Israeli and Lebanese coastline in the past few weeks.