15 Indians among 20 crew evacuated after oil tanker attacked off Oman

Fifteen Indian nationals were among 20 crew members evacuated after a Palauflagged oil tanker Skylight was targeted in waters off Musandam Governorate in Oman Gulf News reported citing an official statement from Omanrsquos Maritime Security CentreAuthorities said the vessel was struck around five nautical miles north of Khasab Port A coordinated emergency response was immediately launched to ensure the safety of those on board news agency ANI reportedldquoAll 20 crew members were evacuated including 15 Indian nationals and five Iranian nationalsrdquo the centre saidThe maritime attack comes amid a sharp escalation in regional hostilities Addressing the crewrsquos condition Gulf News reported that medical assistance was provided to those affectedldquoPreliminary information indicates that four crew members sustained injuries of varying severity and were transferred for the necessary medical treatmentrdquoOmani officials have not yet disclosed further details regarding the source of the attack or the extent of damage to the tankerUS Israel strike IranIndia launches diplomatic push amid Gulf flareupThe incident occurred against the backdrop of major security developments in the region following highprofile killings in TehranIranian Army Chief of Staff Abdul Rahim Mousavi and Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh were killed in IsraeliUS strikes in Iran Al Jazeera reported on Sunday citing Iranrsquos staterun media Islamic Republic News AgencyEarlier the Israeli Air Force confirmed that its fighter jets had carried out strikes on military targets in Iran reportedly killing seven senior Iranian defence officials including Ali Shamkhani and Mohammad PakpourIn a post on X the Israeli Air Force stated ldquoIAF fighter jets precisely struck military targets across Iran eliminating 7 senior officials of the Iranian Defense Leadership Ali Shamkhani Mohammad Pakpour Saleh Asadi Mohammad Shirazi Aziz Nasirzadeh Hossein Jabal Amelian Reza MozaffariNia The world is a better place without themrdquoThe IsraeliUS strikes on Saturday resulted in the death of Iranrsquos Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei The operation referred to by the Israel Defense Forces as ldquoOperation Roaring Lionrdquo followed months of joint planning with the US Armed Forces IDF Lt Col Nadav Shoshani said in a video messageThe situation has prompted India to initiate diplomatic outreach and exchanges with regional and international leaders in response to the heightened tensions in the Gulf amid concerns over the safety of Indian nationals in the regionAs the conflict widened Al Jazeera reported that Iran launched coordinated attacks on USlinked targets across several Gulf Arab states The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC said Israeli and US military facilities in the Middle East had been hit by ldquopowerful Iranian missile strikesrdquo warning that operations would continueldquoThis operation will persist without interruption until the enemy is decisively defeatedrdquo the IRGC said adding that all US assets in the region are now regarded as legitimate targetsWith ANI inputs