Guided missile destroyers to \u2018maintain deterrent presence\u2019 after Israel-linked vessel hit off Indian coast
\nMumbai
\nThe Indian Navy has dispatched guided missile destroyers to the Arabian Sea after an attack on an Israel-linked chemical tanker off its coast, the Ministry of Defence said.
\nThree stealth-guided destroyers were deployed \u201cin various areas of the sea\u201d to \u201cmaintain a deterrent presence\u201d considering the \u201crecent spate of attacks in the Arabian Sea\u201d, the ministry said in a statement late on Monday. It was also using long-range maritime patrol aircraft for \u201cdomain awareness\u201d, it said.
\nThe United States claimed that the December 23 strike on MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean was \u201cfired from Iran\u201d, an accusation that Tehran has dismissed as baseless.
\nThe attack came as a US-led task force sought to counter similar threats to maritime shipping in the Red Sea posed by Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
\nAmid the uptick in maritime strikes, this was the first that the US has sought to directly pin on Iran. It was also the first on a vessel outside the Red Sea.
\n\u201cWe can see that militarisation is increasing, not only in the Red Sea, but also in the Arabian Peninsula,\u201d said Al Jazeera\u2019s Resul Sardar, reporting from Djibouti.
\n\u201cThese are the regional ramifications of the war on Gaza,\u201d he reported on Tuesday.
\nThe Indian Navy said it was investigating the nature of the attack on MV Chem Puto, which \u201canchored safely\u201d in the financial capital, Mumbai, on Monday.
\nAn initial assessment \u201cpointed to a drone attack\u201d, the ministry said. But \u201cfurther forensic and technical analysis will be required to establish the vector of attack, including type and amount of explosive used\u201d.
\nThe vessel had been \u201ccleared for further operation\u201d by its company, according to the ministry.
\nShipping under threat
\nMV Chem Pluto, a Japanese-owned tanker carrying 21 Indians and one Vietnamese citizen, was hit on Saturday while travelling 200 nautical miles (370km) off the coast of India, according to the Pentagon. The attack sparked a fire, which was put out, but caused no casualties.
\nThe Houthis have pledged to target any Israel-linked vessel in the Red Sea, through which some 12 percent of all global trade passes, in solidarity with Gaza which has been bombarded by land, sea and air by the Israeli military.
\nSardar said that despite the new US-led task force, there still hasn\u2019t been an increase in ships trying to pass through the Red Sea, adding that dozens of cargo ships remain stranded in Djibouti.
\nSince October, the Houthis have waged attacks on more than a dozen vessels, pushing some of the world\u2019s largest firms to abandon the route. The attack in the Indian Ocean, far away from the Red Sea, has raised concerns about even broader risks to maritime shipping amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
\nWashington has accused Tehran of being \u201cdeeply involved\u201d in the Houthi operations.
\nBut Iran insists that it is not coordinating with the Houthis and plays no role in the attacks.
\n\u201cThe resistance [Houthis] has its own tools \u2026 and acts in accordance with its own decisions and capabilities,\u201d Iran\u2019s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri told the Mehr news agency on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Guided missile destroyers to \u2018maintain deterrent presence\u2019 after Israel-linked vessel hit off Indian coast Mumbai The Indian Navy has dispatched guided missile destroyers to the Arabian Sea after an attack on an Israel-linked chemical tanker off its coast, the Ministry of Defence said. Three stealth-guided destroyers were deployed \u201cin various areas of the sea\u201d to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-376982","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n