Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Wednesday that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that attacked the Mercer Street tanker off the coast of Oman earlier in the month headed out of Iran.

It was the first time an Israeli official confirmed in public that the attack was orchestrated by Iran.

“This is another proof that Iran is first and foremost a threat to the world and the region,” Gantz stressed in a briefing for foreign ambassadors.

This is the third consecutive year in which the former military chief holds a briefing to foreign ambassadors, which consisted of more than 60.

Referring to the incident in the high seas, the defense minister added that “Israel has operational options, and we knew how to operate in the past. I do not rule out we may also need to act in the future to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.”

Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Ministry of Defense