Netanyahu ordered drone strikes on Sumud boats off Tunisia: CBS
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CBS News reveals that Netanyahu ordered drone strikes on the Global Sumud Flotilla boats carrying aid to Gaza when docked in Tunisia last month.
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A fire blazes on the flagship vessel of the Gaza Sumud Flotilla, the Alma, after being struck by a drone off the Tunisian coast, September 9, 2025 (Social media)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered drone strikes on humanitarian aid boats bound for Gaza off the Tunisian coast in September, CBS News revealed on Saturday.
Two US intelligence officials told the network that Israeli forces launched drones from a submarine and dropped incendiary devices on two ships, which were anchored off the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said on September 8 and 9.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest civilian effort to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, suffered an attack on September 9 when one of its leading vessels was struck while anchored in Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia.
According to Wael Nawar, a member of the flotilla, the attack was carried out by an Israeli drone and targeted the fleet’s largest ship, which sails under the Portuguese flag. He confirmed that all crew and passengers aboard the vessel were unharmed.
On September 9, the GSF confirmed that its flagship vessel, the Alma, came under attack in Tunisian waters again, sustaining fire damage to its top deck.
The ship, sailing under the British flag, caught fire after being struck by a drone, though crew members extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported.
A second drone attack targeted a vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla in Sidi Bou Said. This time, an incendiary projectile impacted Alma, the largest vessel of the convoy.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 9, 2025
Organizers said that crewmembers were able to put the fire out.
The vessels are on a humanitarian… pic.twitter.com/ybHxlKJCrx
In a statement, organizers condemned the assault, describing it as part of an effort to sabotage their humanitarian mission.
“These repeat attacks come during intensified Israeli aggression on Palestinians in Gaza, and are an orchestrated attempt to distract and derail our mission,” organizers said, adding that the campaign to break "Israel’s" blockade “continues undeterred… with determination and resolve.”
'Israel' hijacks mission, detains activists
On Thursday, the Global Sumud Flotilla reported that Israeli occupation forces intercepted the "peaceful convoy's ships" in international waters and subsequently abducted hundreds of volunteers.
According to the flotilla's report, more than 443 participants from 47 countries are now being detained illegally by Israeli authorities, after the fleet was seized. It called for urgent international intervention to ensure the safety of the volunteers detained by "Israel" and to secure their immediate release.
Mass demonstrations erupted across Arab and Western countries in response to the Israeli occupation’s attack on the mission.
When the activists were detained, Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrived at the port of Asdod after the conclusion of Yom Kippur, where Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai and southern commander Haim Bublil oversaw the transfer of detainees to Israeli prison authorities.
At Ketziot prison, Ben Gvir ordered officials to treat the flotilla participants as “terrorists,” shouting at them: “You are terrorists.” He added: “As promised, those who joined the flotilla are now in a security prison, receiving the same treatment as terrorists in every sense of the word.”
He later sharply criticized Netanyahu’s decision to deport the activists, saying they should have been imprisoned in “Israel” for months, saying: “They should be kept in Israeli jails to smell the suites in which the terrorist prisoners are kept. Sending them back time after time only encourages their return.”
Read more: Global outcry as 'Israel' attacks Sumud Flotilla to Gaza
