Was the mystery Gaza flotilla attacked off Malta coast a diversion for an Iranian weapon ship?

An aid ship bound for Gaza was attacked by UAVs, suspected to be from Israel, last week off the coast of Malta in the early hours of Friday. Now, speculations are rife that the vessel 'Conscience', which is still stranded after sustaining damages, was merely a diversion for another vessel on the same route—an Iranian cargo ship allegedly transporting weapons and ammunition to Lebanon. 

 

The vessel, belonging to the NGO Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was attacked on Friday just after midnight. Though Israel did not confirm it was behind the attack, Malta’s government said the attack left the ship ablaze. The vessel was 68-foot-long and was carrying 16 people – 12 crew members and four civilian passengers. 

 

Malta’s government said a tug boat had been sent to assist the vessel but the crew refused to board the tug. Malta Prime Minister Robert Abela offered to send a team to assess the damage and even proposed covering all repair costs so the ship could resume its journey to Gaza but people on board rejected it.

 

The pro-Palestinian activists onboard 'Conscience' claim they did not want to accept the offer after Malta set criteria: it would only support repairs if the mission was indeed humanitarian. "There’s no chance we’ll accept the Maltese government’s offer, which favours collaboration with the criminal Israeli government over providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza or to civilians stranded at sea," Tiago, an activist from Barcelona who joined the flotilla was quoted by Tel Aviv-based newspaper Ynet. 

 

On the speculations, Maltese security officials acknowledged the rumours, stating "they were dealing with a situation where much remains unclear."  

 

"The Maltese government is holding intense discussions on the matter, and we’re examining every possible lead, including that theory." A senior official was quoted by Ynet. He added that investigators were exploring the possibility that the explosion was not caused by an external factor. 

 

However, the pro-Palestine officials onboard the ship have rubbished the rumours, calling it "classic Israeli tactics." "Instead of addressing their criminal attack on innocent people undertaking a humanitarian mission, they spin a story in which everyone but Israel is to blame," Tiago told Ynet.  

Middle East