Israel blames Libyan-owned ship for oil spill

Over 90% of Israel's 195 kilometre (120-mile) Mediterranean coastline was covered in more than 1,000 tons of black tar, the result of the mysterious oil spill in international waters.

Israel's environmental protection minister Gila Gamliel said a Libyan-owned tanker transporting oil from Iran to Syria was responsible for spilling tons of crude into the eastern Mediterranean.

Ministry officials said it is believed the ship dumped its oil in the eastern Mediterranean, around 70 kilometers (40 miles) off the coast of Israel, in early February.

Gamliel called the incident a deliberate act of "environmental terror" and blamed Iran.

Gamliel, a junior minister in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, provided no evidence to support that theory.

"We will sue for compensation for all citizens of Israel," she said at a press conference.

Her spokesman declined repeated requests for clarification, and Israel's defense and foreign ministries could not confirm the claim.

Iranian officials did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

The ecological disaster, one of the worst in the country's history, has caused extensive damage and forced the closure of beaches and a ban on the sale of seafood from the Mediterranean.

Last month the ministry allocated 45 million shekels ($13 million) to the clean-up project, which is projected to take months.

The sea has continued to dredge up tar onto Israel's beaches almost two weeks after the disaster hit.