Unidentified armed individuals were believed to have seized the Israeli-owned oil tanker Central Park in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, a US defense official said.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since a brutal war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas broke out on October 7.
It followed a seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo ship by Yemen Houthis, allies of Iran, in the southern Red Sea last week. The group, which also fired ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel, vowed to target more Israeli vessels.
“US and coalition forces are in the vicinity and we are closely monitoring the situation,” the US official said.
Central Park, a small oil tanker (19,998 metric tons), is managed by the Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company, LSEG data showed.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi officials.
US blames Iran for Red Sea maritime attacks
The United States has blamed Iran for unclaimed attacks on several vessels in the region in the past few years. Tehran has denied involvement.
A container ship managed by an Israeli-controlled company was hit by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean, causing minor damage to the vessel but no injuries, a US defense official said on Saturday.
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