Somali piracy spikes off Horn of Africa amid US-Israel war on Iran and Somali instability

Piracy off the Horn of Africa has surged to its highest level in a decade, a trend analysts link to the combined effects of the U.S.–Israel military campaign against Iran and renewed political instability in Somalia. Since late April, Somali pirate groups have carried out eight hijackings, a sharp increase that has drawn renewed attention from international maritime security agencies and shipping companies operating in the region.

Among the recent attacks, an oil tanker with Iranian affiliations was seized in early August, followed two weeks later by the capture of the Cameroon‑flagged vessel Lutuf, which was transporting Turkish military equipment. The spate of incidents underscores the vulnerability of cargo ships and smaller dhows traversing the busy shipping lanes near the Somali coast, prompting calls for heightened naval patrols and coordinated diplomatic efforts to address both the underlying regional conflicts and the resurgence of piracy.