US Navy confirms drone attack on Pacific Gold near India
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The chemical tanker Pacific Gold was targeted on January 4 by what the Navy identified as an "Iranian one-way attack" drone.
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Pacific Gold, undated picture released by Vessel Finder (VesselFinder.com)
The US Navy on Friday confirmed an assault that occurred days prior off the shores of India and Sri Lanka. The chemical tanker Pacific Gold was targeted on January 4 by what the Navy claimed was an "Iranian one-way attack" drone, resulting in damage to the vessel and no injuries reported.
On January 9, Al Mayadeen's sources revealed that two Israeli ships loaded with a massive amount of oil were targeted in the Indian Ocean on January 4.
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.
This comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Red Sea due to US and UK naval forces targeting the Yemeni resistance in efforts to choke the Israeli economy.
On Thursday, Iran's navy reported it confiscated an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman waters following "a court order" authorizing the move.
"The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran captured an American oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Oman, in accordance with a court order," the official IRNA news agency said.
Earlier today, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received information about an incident in the Gulf of Oman. The report indicated that four to five armed individuals, dressed in military-style black uniforms with black masks, boarded a vessel approximately 50 nautical miles off the city of Sohar in Oman around 03:30 GMT.
Read more: Yemen will target sources of threat on land, at sea: Saree
On Friday, the Yemeni resistance pledged fierce retaliation against the US and the UK in response to recent strikes aimed at curbing the group's campaign of drone and missile attacks on Israeli-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The bombardment launched pre-dawn, resulted in at least five casualties and six injuries, as per Yemeni sources.
The UK reported that the strikes targeted a location in Bani, which the resistance purportedly used for launching drones, along with an airfield in Abbs utilized for the launch of cruise missiles and drones.
The Yemeni resistance has been actively targeting ships in the Red Sea since November due to the Israeli-led genocide of the people of Gaza. This triggered major concerns among global powers as the resistance operations led to severe disruptions in chain supplies and skyrocketed the cost of transport. The resistance vowed to continue disrupting the crucial route until the genocide came to a complete halt.
Saudi Arabia, a supporter of the Western-backed Yemeni government against Ansar Allah, refused to join the US-led naval coalition against Yemen and promptly distanced itself from the attacks.
Read more: Yemen will continue to target Israeli-linked ships: Ansar Allah spox
