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Iranian Vessel Sinks off Sri Lanka, 101 Missing After Suspected Submarine Attack
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An Iranian naval frigate, the IRIS Dena, sank off the southern coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, March 4, following a suspected submarine attack.
According to Reuters, the incident has left at least 101 crew members missing and dozens wounded, marking a significant expansion of the ongoing war between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition.
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Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force units launched a large-scale search and rescue operation at approximately 06:00 local time after receiving a distress signal from the vessel near the city of Galle. Reuters reports that 79 personnel have been rescued and taken to local hospitals, with at least one confirmed dead after hospitalization.
“The Sri Lankan Navy has dispatched a rescue mission after a distress call from an Iranian ship,” a defense ministry spokesperson told India Today.
Authorities confirmed that 32 of the rescued sailors were “critically wounded” and are receiving emergency treatment at Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. The IRIS Dena, a Moudge-class frigate commissioned in 2021, reportedly had 180 personnel on board at the time of the strike.
The sinking occurs on the fifth day of a major military campaign against Iran. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched coordinated operations—“Epic Fury” and “Lion’s Roar”—targeting Iranian naval assets, missile production sites, and nuclear infrastructure.
According to Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces had already neutralized 17 Iranian vessels prior to Wednesday’s events. While no nation has officially claimed responsibility for the strike near Sri Lanka, the US has explicitly stated its objective is the “annihilation” of the Iranian Navy to ensure international maritime security.
The location of the attack, approximately 25 miles south of Sri Lanka, indicates that combat operations have moved far beyond the Persian Gulf.
Earlier, US forces struck the Iranian drone carrier Shahid Bagheri shortly after launching Operation Epic Fury, according to US Central Command. The vessel, operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy and converted from a commercial ship into a platform for launching drones and helicopters, had been commissioned by Iran to expand its unmanned maritime capabilities.
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