MembersANALYSIS: Israel-Iran Shadow War Goes to Sea

The shadow war between Israel and Iran reached a new high late last week when a number of armed Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked the oil tanker Mercer Street in the Gulf of Oman.

Officially, Mercer Street is owned by a company in Japan, but Zodiac Maritime, a London-based company, operates the oil tanker. Zodiac Maritime is part of the Zodiac Group, a conglomerate owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.

Bennett reacts to first deaths in the war at sea

The Iranian UAVs exploded under the ship’s bridge in a deck that housed the Mercer Streetcrew. The attack killed two people, the ship’s Romanian captain and a British security officer.

Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was the first to directly accuse Iran of the deadly attack.

During the weekly cabinet meeting, he said the following:

“The world recently received a reminder of Iranian aggression, this time on the high seas. The Iranians, who attacked the ship ‘Mercer Street’ with unmanned aerial vehicles, intended to attack...