Iran's attack on Israeli tanker involves Qatar

Israel has accused Iran of carrying out the attack on the Israeli-owned Mercer Street crew oil tanker off Oman's coast on Thursday.

A British and Romanian citizen was killed in the attack that Israel called "Iranian terrorism" and vowed a strong response.

According to Israeli news websites, there were two attacks on the ship within a few hours, and it was the second one that hit the bridge and killed the two victims.

The attack appeared to have been carried out by a "one-way drone" US official said,

On Friday, Iranian government Arabic-language television network Al Alam TV said the attack was in "response to a recent Israeli attack on Al-Dabaa airport in Syria.

With the US State Department looking into a recent allegation by Israel that Qatar has supplied funds to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, experts point to Qatar's involvement in the attack on the Israeli oil tanker.

Times of Israel report says Israel’s outgoing president Reuven Rivlin shared intelligence with President Joe Biden about the alleged funding of IRGC by Qatar during their White House meeting last month.

Allegations against Qatar that it has supported militant Islamist groups are nothing new. It has been accused of financing both the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Islamic State group.

The U.S. has reportedly closed sprawling bases in Qatar that once stored warehouses full of weaponry and transferred the remaining supplies to Jordan, in a move that analysts say positions Washington to deal better with Iran and reflects the military’s changing priorities in the region.