Mossad, IDF blindsided by Gamliel’s Iran ‘eco-terror’ accusation

Author: Published: March 4, 2021

Iran intentionally polluted the Mediterranean Sea and Israel’s shores in an act of ecological terrorism, Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said on Wednesday.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB, UDI SHAHAM

MARCH 4, 2021 11:21
Israeli soldiers clean tar off the Palmachim beach following an offshore oil spill which drenched most of the Israeli coastline, February 22, 2021 (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)
Israeli soldiers clean tar off the Palmachim beach following an offshore oil spill which drenched most of the Israeli coastline, February 22, 2021
(photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH 90)
Both the Mossad and the IDF were blindsided by Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel’s accusation that Iran was behind the recent environmental disaster and oil spill that has hit Israel’s shores.
Defense sources said they could not confirm the veracity of Gamliel’s claims and said that neither the IDF nor the Mossad had been part of the investigation upon which the minister based her allegations. Officials said they were frustrated by the lack of coordination within the government.
On Wednesday night, Gamliel said that Iran intentionally polluted the Mediterranean Sea and Israel’s shores in an act of ecological terrorism, causing the greatest environmental disaster in Israel’s history.
“This pollution has people who are responsible for it and have to pay the price. Our nature is damaged, our animals are harmed, thanks to merciless environmental criminals,” Gamliel said.
It was unclear what Israeli channels Gamliel went through to obtain her information, verify it and decide to announce it without first discussing the issue with the IDF, the Navy and the Mossad – traditionally the organizations responsible for the Iran file.
Her accusation raised a number of questions, since even the slightest miscalculation could have led any intentional oil spill to hit Hamas in Gaza or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
On the other hand, Iran has failed at a number of recent attempts to retaliate against Israel for high-profile operations which it attributes to Jerusalem, so this could have led the Islamic Republic to attempt a high-risk and more out-of-the-box method of attack.

Could Iran really be linked to ‘eco-terrorism’ against Israel? – Analysis

Author: Published: March 4, 2021

The ability of a ship to purposely dump oil so that, two weeks later, it harms a country’s coastline appears very complex.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN

MARCH 4, 2021 10:46
An oil tanker loads gas in Assaluyeh seaport at the Persian Gulf, 1,400 km (870 miles) south of Tehran, Iran May 27, 2006. (photo credit: MORTEZA NIKOUBAZI/ REUTERS)
An oil tanker loads gas in Assaluyeh seaport at the Persian Gulf, 1,400 km (870 miles) south of Tehran, Iran May 27, 2006.
(photo credit: MORTEZA NIKOUBAZI/ REUTERS)
A shocking claim by Israel’s environmental protection minister on Wednesday – that a Libyan ship dumped containers of crude oil off Israel’s coast, causing one of the country’s worst environmental disasters – is making waves. This is because Environment Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said that Iran was linked to the environmental harm.

The story of the ship that allegedly caused the spill is convoluted, like many things at sea that involve the shipping industry. This is because ownership of ships is often murky and involves shell companies and ships registered in one place, flying the flag of a different place, owned by a third party and captained by people from a fourth nation.

This is especially true of ships involved in illicit activity linked to countries that are under international sanctions like Iran.

Israel says that the ship is the Libyan-owned Emerald tanker.

“This is a crude oil tanker called Emerald, owned and operated by a Libyan company,” Gamliel said. “It was illegally carrying cargo from Iran to Syria. The ship was flying Panama’s flag. Iran is waging terrorism not only by trying to arm itself with nuclear weapons or trying to establish a basis near our borders. Iran is waging terrorism by harming the environment.

“Our battle on behalf of nature and animals must be a cross-border one,” she said. “Together, we will bring to justice those responsible for the environmental terrorism, those who committed this crime against humanity. We will continue to rehabilitate the damaged beaches and the animals that were harmed. Together, we will win, and we’ll remove the pollution from our country’s shores.”

The ship was allegedly going from Iran to Syria where it was smuggling crude oil, Israel claims. Ships trying to get to Syria from Iran in the past have been interdicted so the transit can be illicit. The vessel also turned off its automatic identification system, a kind of transponder.

Minister Gamliel: Oil spill off Israel’s coast was ‘environmental terrorism’ by Iran

Author: Published: March 4, 2021

Environmental Protection Minister identifies Libyan ship which departed from Iran for Syria as the perpetrator of the massive spill.

Arutz Sheva Staff , Mar 03 , 2021 9:21 PM

 

Gamliel and Netanyahu at polluted beach

Gamliel and Netanyahu at polluted beach

Kobi Gideon, GPO

Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel identified a Libyan ship which sailed from Iran as the vessel responsible for the massive tar and oil pollution off Israel’s coasts and accused the Iranian regime of “environmental terrorism.”

“After reducing the number of suspects in the incident, we discovered that it was not just environmental crime – but environmental terrorism. An illegal ship owned by a Libyan company that departed from Iran is responsible for the environmental attack,” Gamliel wrote on Twitter.

In a speech on Wednesday, Gamliel said the ship had departed from Iran with its transmitter off, and it was activated only when the ship reached the shores of Syria. “We will demand compensation in the name of all the citizens of Israel for the harm to health, nature, animals and landscape.”

Gamliel explained that the ship was “a crude oil tanker called Emerald, Libyan-owned and operated, which illegally carried cargo from Iran to Syria. The ship carries the Panama flag.”

“Iran is activating terror through harm to the environment. Our fight for nature and animals should cross borders. Together, we will settle the score with the responsible party for environmental terrorism that committed a crime against humanity,” she said.

“We continue to restore the beaches and the animals that were harmed. Together we will be victorious and remove the pollution from our country’s shores,” Gamliel added.

Her declaration comes after intensive efforts by the naval unit of the environmental protection ministry over the past two weeks to locate the offending vessel.

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