Yair Lapid
Yair LapidFlash 90

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid responded on Friday to the attack on an Israeli-managed ship near Oman, in which two people were killed.

"Iran is not just an Israeli problem, but an exporter of terrorism, destruction and instability that harms us all. We must never remain silent in the face of Iranian terrorism, which also harms freedom of navigation," said Lapid.

"I am in constant contact with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, I mentioned to him tonight the need to respond severely to the attack on the ship in which a British citizen was killed," he added.

“In addition, I instructed the embassies in Washington, London, and the United Nations to work with their colleagues in the administration and the relevant delegations at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.”

Earlier on Friday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi held a security consultation following the attack on the ship.

An Israeli official commented on the attack on the ship and said, "Iran is sowing violence and destruction in every corner of the region. Out of eagerness to attack an Israeli target, they have complicated and incriminated themselves by killing foreign civilians. The masks are coming off and it is impossible to pretend that the nature of the Iranian regime is unknown."

"Iran is not just a problem of Israel, it is a global problem, and its behavior endangers global shipping and trade. Our campaign against them will continue," the source added.

Zodiac Maritime, the Israeli company that manages the ship attacked off the coast of Oman, confirmed earlier on Friday that two individuals on board have died due to the attack.

"Two crew members, one a Romanian citizen and the other a British citizen, died from their wounds shortly after the attack," the company stated. "From preliminary reports, the attack was carried out by an unmanned aircraft."

The vessel is reportedly a Japanese tanker named M/T Mercer Street. It was sailing from Tanzania to the UAE without a cargo when it was reportedly set upon by pirates.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)