Two foreign workers were killed and several others injured after drones struck the northern Omani governorate of Sohar on Friday, according to Omani state media, the latest in Iran's ongoing wave of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region.
Sohar, Oman © Mena Today
Two foreign workers were killed and several others injured after drones struck the northern Omani governorate of Sohar on Friday, according to Omani state media, the latest in Iran's ongoing wave of retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region.
"Two drones crashed in the governorate of Sohar. One fell in the Al-Awahi industrial zone, killing two foreign workers and wounding several others. The second crashed in an open area with no casualties," the Omani News Agency said, citing a security source.
The attack on Sohar, home to one of Oman's most strategically important industrial and port complexes, marks a significant escalation. Unlike previous Iranian strikes that targeted military or energy infrastructure, this drone hit a civilian industrial zone, killing workers with no military connection.
Oman, which has historically maintained a neutral diplomatic posture and has often served as a back-channel between Western powers and Tehran, now finds itself directly in the line of Iranian fire, a development with potentially far-reaching diplomatic consequences.
The strike adds to a growing toll of Gulf civilian and industrial targets hit since Iran launched its retaliatory campaign following the US-Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Tehran's drones are no longer discriminating between military and civilian targets, and the Gulf is paying the price.
By Netay Herdus
Oman's Muscat International Airport said on Monday it did not send a message seen by some charter executives that asked private jets to avoid using the site for "additional flights," to give priority to government and commercial traffic.
When Samuel Lait launched his private flights firm focused on pet travel in Dubai on Saturday, he was expecting to receive queries from owners looking to travel with their pets between the glitzy Gulf hub and the United Kingdom.
A Palau-flagged oil tanker was hit off Oman's Musandam peninsula on Sunday injuring four people, the country's maritime security centre said, following drone strikes on the Gulf country's commercial port of Duqm.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.