Drone attacks: High alert on the high seas
Are ripples of hostility from the Gaza War reaching Indian shores? Over the weekend, an oil tanker with 25 Indians on board—all confirmed safe—was struck by a drone in the Red Sea, according to the US, which is patrolling this trade route being disrupted by Yemen’s Iran-sponsored Houthi militia. Hours earlier, a Mangalore-bound ship suffered a drone attack off the coast of Gujarat, making India rush armed forces to its defence.
The US pointed at Iranian territory as the drone’s origin. Interpreting this in the context of Tehran’s warnings asking Israel’s backers to back off only adds to an air of mystery over what’s going on.
While Red Sea attacks by an Iranian proxy group hint of an attempt to widen the Israel-Hamas conflict, threatening ships on India’s side of the Arabian Sea appears to serve no strategic purpose for Israel’s opponents, even if the particular vessel targeted had an Israeli link, unless a larger geopolitical plot is unfolding as a global rupture worsens. If these are loose-cannon hits, we must shield our interests.
Read more on livemint.com
