Israeli-Owned Cargo Ship Attacked by Iranian Drone, Pentagon Says

A ship owned by an Israeli billionaire was attacked by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, per an unnamed Pentagon official.

The Details: The Malta-flagged, CMA CGM Symi cargo ship was reportedly hit by a Shahed-136 kamikaze drone overnight Friday, but no crew were injured. The ship’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) had been turned off since it left Dubai Tuesday, signaling heightened security concerns from its crew.

For Context: Last weekend, the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthis, who have declared war on Israel, hijacked an Israel-linked ship in the Red Sea. The Symi had previously turned off its AIS when traveling through the Red Sea. The Shahed-136 is an Iranian-made drone that Russia has also been using in Ukraine. Neither Israel nor Iran has commented on the incident.

How The Media Covered It: Most coverage was derivative of Associated Press’ (Lean Left bias) original report. Associated Press said Israel and Iran have been engaged in a “yearlong shadow war” and included that a Liberian-flagged oil tanker was damaged in a suspected Iranian attack in 2022. Reuters (Center bias) included that the Symi recently changed its name to the Mayet. The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) noted the attack took place hours before the Israel-Hamas limited ceasefire, which it said “Iran’s proxies were mostly expected to abide by.”