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Israel behind serial sabotage of Iranian tankers, report says

Israeli attacks have hit more than a dozen Iranian oil tankers in recent years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

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This June 14, 2019, shows aluminum and green composite material left behind following removal of an unexploded limpet mine used in a suspected Iranian attack on the starboard side of motor vessel M/T Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman. Limpet mines are attached to a vessel via magnets. The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12, 2021, that Israel has also used such mines against Iranian vessels. — US Department of Defense via Getty Images

A series of sabotage incidents on Iranian tanker ships headed to Syria in recent years were carried out by Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

More than a dozen Iranian tankers were hit with sea mines and limpet mines en route to Syria, where they were scheduled to offload fuel to aid the cash-strapped regime in Damascus in violation of US and international sanctions on Syria and Iran.

The sabotage incidents began in 2019, the Journal reported, and have included attacks on weapons cargo. Some of the attacks have reportedly received tacit US support.

The revelation adds new depth to Israel’s quiet campaign against Iranian interests in Syria. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years to prevent Iranian projectile weapons from approaching Israel's borders.

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