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New Delhi says attack that sank Indian-flagged ship off Oman’s coast ‘unacceptable’

New Delhi condemned an attack that sank an Indian-flagged vessel transiting through Omani waters as “unacceptable” on Thursday and said commercial ships should not be targeted amid the US-Israeli war with Iran. The attack on the dhow — a wooden vessel — occurred while it was sailing from Somalia to the United Arab Emirates in the early hours of Wednesday, causing a fire on board that eventually led to the ship sinking, New Delhi said. All 14 crew members were rescued by the Omani coast guard and taken to Diba port, India added. India did not specify the nature of the attack or identify who was responsible. However, British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the explosion was believed to have been caused by a drone or missile strike. The vessel was carrying livestock cargo, Vanguard said. “The attack on an Indian-flagged ship off the coast of Oman yesterday is unacceptable and we deplore the fact that commercial shipping and civilian marin...

South Africa expels Israel’s top diplomat, gives 72-hour deadline

South Africa on Friday declared Israel’s top diplomat in the country persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours, citing repeated violations of diplomatic norms, including public insults directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa. In a statement, the South African foreign ministry said Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Ariel Seidman, had committed “a series of unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa’s sovereignty”. MEDIA STATEMENT 30 January 2026 The Department of International Relations and Cooperation has informed the Government of the State of Israel of its decision to declare Mr. Ariel Seidman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Israeli Embassy, persona non grata. pic.twitter.com/IINt3ixnCO — DIRCO South Africa (@DIRCO_ZA) January 30, 2026 “These violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch insulting attacks” on President Ramaphosa, the ministry said. It also accused the Israeli embassy of a “deliberate failure” to inform South African authorities about visits by senior Israeli officials. The ministry said Seidman’s conduct amounted to “a gross abuse of diplomatic privilege and a fundamental breach of the Vienna Convention”, adding that the actions had “systematically undermined the trust and protocols essential for bilateral relations”. Read: Israel retrieves remains of last Gaza hostage, military says The decision follows days after an Israeli delegation visited South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, where it reportedly offered assistance in water, healthcare, and agriculture. South African officials criticised the visit as a breach of diplomatic protocol due to the lack of prior notification. A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy declined to comment. Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Israel have been strained since Pretoria emerged as a leading critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. In December 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide, a charge Israel has rejected as baseless. In 2023, South African lawmakers voted in favour of closing Israel’s embassy in Pretoria and suspending diplomatic relations over the Gaza war, but the resolution was never implemented.

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