Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted on Sunday that Iran carried out the attack that targeted an Israeli tanker last week, emphasizing that Israel knows "how to send them a message." According to his official Facebook page, he stated during the weekly government meeting: "I just heard that Iran is trying, cowardly, to evade responsibility for this incident. I assert firmly that Iran executed the attack on the ship."
He added: "The world has received another reminder in recent days of Iranian aggression, this time in the heart of the sea. The Iranians who attacked the Mercer Street ship with drones aimed to strike an Israeli target. Instead, their act of piracy resulted in the death of a British citizen and a Romanian."
He noted: "Iranian bullying poses a danger not only to Israel but also affects international shipping and trade interests." He confirmed the existence of intelligence evidence regarding Iran's involvement and expected the international community to "clarify to the Iranian regime that it committed a grave sin." He warned: "In any case, we know how to send the message to Iran in our own ways."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry recently denied involvement in the attack on the tanker, with spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh stating: "Israel should stop making baseless accusations." Khatibzadeh added, "It must withdraw its attempts to bring the subject of the ship to the Security Council." Iranian sources confirmed on Saturday that the attack on the Israeli ship was a response to a military strike targeting the Al-Dabaa military airport in Syria. Iranian sources told the Iranian channel "Al-Alam" that Iran responded to the recent Israeli attack on the Al-Dabaa airport in the town of Qusayr in Syria, which killed two members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
