Details unveiled on two Israeli ships hit in Indian Ocean: Exclusive

By Al Mayadeen English
9 Jan 2024 01:08
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Al Mayadeen's sources report that two Israeli ships loaded with a substantial amount of oil, one of them flying the Liberian flag, were targeted in the Indian Ocean on Jan. 4.

The CHEM SILICON and PACIFIC GOLD ships that were targeted in the Indian Ocean on January 4, 2024, as per Al Mayadeen's sources.

Al Mayadeen's sources revealed on Monday that two Israeli ships loaded with a massive amount of oil were targeted in the Indian Ocean on January 4, 2024.

According to the sources, the first ship, CHEM SILICON, belonging to the ACE company and flying the flag of Liberia, was targeted northwest of the Maldives.

As for the second ship, PACIFIC GOLD, belonging to the Eastern company, it was targeted near the port of Kochi in India.

It is worth noting that the targeting of the two ships comes approximately 48 hours after the assassination of Hamas' deputy chief Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri on January 2, in an Israeli strike that targeted the Southern Suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

It also follows the assassination of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) military advisor, Brigadier General Seyyed Razi Mousavi, on December 25, in an Israeli attack on Syria.

The targeting of Israeli-linked ships in the Indian Ocean comes at a time when the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) continue their operations against Israeli and Israeli-bound ships in the Red and Arabian seas in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

In late December, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East, Brad Cooper, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the YAF show no signs of stopping their operations despite the expansion of the US-led international maritime coalition. In response to these operations, under the guise of securing international maritime trade routes, the Pentagon launched Operation Prosperity Guardian. However, it continues to be haunted by the reluctant participation of its members and uncertainty behind the operation's objectives.

Major member countries have announced stepping back or scaling down on commitment to the alliance, including France, which said it will not be operating under Washington's orders and will limit its operations to protect EU vessels, and Spain, which declared it will not participate entirely.

It is noteworthy that spokesperson Yahya Saree has reiterated more than once that the YAF will continue to carry out military operations in the Red and Arabian seas against Israeli ships or vessels bound to the Israeli occupation entity until needed food and medicine are delivered to the Gaza Strip, confirming that the army is "fully committed to ensuring the continued maritime navigation to all destinations except to the Israeli entity."