Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz accused Iran on Tuesday of carrying out drone attacks on maritime targets from bases in Chabahar port and Qeshm island.

Gantz also said that these sites were also used to store combat drones.

Iran’s military drone program has expanded in recent years and UAV’s have been more frequently used in recent months both on land and at sea.

Separately, the chief of Israel's air force proposed working with Arab partners - such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, with which Israel formalized ties last year - against the drone threat.

Iran has been accused of attacking tankers in the Persian Gulf region since 2019 when several vessels were hit by what was described as limpet mines. Iranian naval forces have also seized tankers, most recently in late October, when they forced a Vietnamese-flagged tanker into Iranian waters.

Gantz made the allegation, which he described as a first public disclosure, during a televised speech at a security conference hosted by Reichman University.

Chabahar is a port city on the Sea of Oman near Pakistan from where Iranian forces can project power into the Indian Ocean and to the shores of Oman. Frequent naval drills take place in the region.