(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) Firefighters have extinguished a fire on an oil tanker off Syria's Banias refinery after a suspected attack by a drone coming from the direction of Lebanese waters.
The identity of the vessel was unclear with Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim denying it was an Iranian ship. TankerTrackers said in a tweet 'the tanker seen burning today off the coast of Banias is not an Iranian vessel but Beirut-registered.
Possible drone attack
Syrian state news agency SANA, which on Sunday cited an oil ministry statement, gave no further details about what it said was a drone attack.
It said the fire erupted after 'what was believed to be an attack by a drone from the direction of Lebanese waters.
Iran's Arabic-language Al-Alam TV said there was some damage to an Iranian tanker but no casualties. But Iran's Tasnim news agency, quoting 'certain sources, said: 'The accident happened to another vessel … and is not linked to a ship carrying Iranian cargo.
According to a war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least three people were killed.
'At least three Syrians were killed including two members of the crew in the attack that sparked a fire, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of SOHR, without providing details.
The pro-Damascus Al-Mayadeen TV said the tanker was suspected to have been hit by an Israeli drone. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident.
In a report published last month that cited US and Middle East officials, the Wall Street Journal said Israel had targeted at least a dozen vessels bound for Syria, most carrying Iranian oil, since late 2019.
Hundreds of Israeli air attacks have also struck Syria since the war began in 2011, mostly targeting government allies from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, as well as Syrian forces (Aljazeera)
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