Netanyahu ordered drone strike targeting Gaza flotilla, says report
میدل-ایست-آی - 1404-07-12 14:09:30
Netanyahu ordered drone strike targeting Gaza flotilla, says report
A drone attack targeting the Gaza flotilla last month was approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an investigation has revealed.
CBS news cited a number of American intelligence officials who confirmed that the attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla in Tunisia on 8 and 9 September was launched from a submarine by Israel.
The officials, speaking anonymously to the outlet, said the attack was a "deliberate and unnecessary provocation" that coincided with attempts by US President Donald Trump to end the war on Gaza.
The report dismisses suggestions by pro-Israel commentators that the fires on board the flotilla came from misuse of a flare gun by the activists.
In a statement on Friday, the flotilla said they had suspected Israel was responsible for the attack, which caused no casualties.
"Confirmation of Israeli involvement would not surprise us; it would simply lay bare a pattern of arrogance and impunity so grotesque that it cannot escape eventual reckoning," they said.
"Whether the purpose of these attacks was to kill us, scare us away or disable our boats, they recklessly endangered civilians and humanitarian volunteers. The world must take note: attempts to silence, intimidate or obstruct our commitment to the Palestinian cause and people will not succeed. We call for urgent, independent investigations into these attacks and full accountability for those responsible."
The drone struck the lead ship of the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip at Sidi Bou Said port off the coast of Tunisia.
CCTV footage from a neighbouring boat showed a missile striking the front deck of the Family Boat, registered in Portugal and flying a Portuguese flag.
The six passengers and crew on board were unharmed, and the ship remained structurally intact despite fire damage. Tunisian authorities have denied detecting any drones near the flotilla.
Miguel Duarte, who was on board the Family Boat and witnessed the attack, told Middle East Eye that he saw a drone hovering over the vessel before it dropped an explosive device.
"I saw a drone clearly about four metres above my head. I called someone. We were looking at the drone, just above our heads," he recounted.
Demonstrations have broken out across the world after Israeli forces boarded the flotilla on Wednesday off the coast of Gaza, disrupting a protest that had become one of the most high-profile symbols of opposition to Israel's blockade of the enclave.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, transporting medicine and food to Gaza, consists of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists on board.
On Friday, Israel deported four Italian activists, the first of hundreds detained including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.
An Israeli official said the following day the boats had been prevented from reaching the Palestinian territory.
The military said on Friday that the navy had stopped all 42 of the fleet's vessels "in an operation that lasted approximately 12 hours", and transferred flotilla members to Israel's Ashdod Port for processing by police.
Turkey said 36 of its citizens were expected to return home via a special flight on Saturday afternoon.
"We expect 36 of our nationals on the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels seized by Israeli forces in international waters will return to our country this afternoon via a special flight," Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Oncu Keceli said on X.
The spokesman said efforts were underway to complete the procedures for the remaining citizens, adding that the final number has not been finalised.
