Tanker attacked, Israel claims to be able to face Iran alone

Israel claims it is capable of responding to Iran alone regarding the attack on the tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman on Thursday last week.  The country has also rallied global action against Iran over the attack.

 Iran has denied involvement in the tanker attack that killed the two British and Romanian crew members, calling it baseless.

The United States and Britain also blamed Iran, saying the attacks were likely carried out using drones.  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken predicted there would be a concerted response to the attacks.  Meanwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the attacks on commercial ships painful.

 Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel had shared intelligence with the US, UK and others confirming Iran was involved in the attack.

"We are trying to rally the world, but at the same time we can also act on our own," Bennett said.

"Iran already knows the price to pay when someone threatens our security. Iran needs to know, they can't just sit back in Tehran and light up the whole Middle East. It's over," he added.

Iran had previously reiterated its threats against those accusing it of involvement by saying it would immediately respond to any threats to the country's security.

 This is not the first tension between Iran and Israel over attacks on commercial vessels. They have accused each other of several attacks in Gulf waters in recent months, but the latest incident is the largest and has claimed lives.