Israeli plane flew over Malta hours before aid ship attacked: Report

ISTANBUL

An Israeli military aircraft was flying over Malta hours before a civilian ship carrying aid to Gaza was attacked by a drone, CNN reported on Friday, citing flight-tracking data.

According to CNN, an Israeli Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo plane was tracked departing Israel Thursday afternoon and flying toward Malta.

The aircraft did not land at Malta’s international airport but flew at a "relatively" low altitude — below 5,000 feet — over eastern Malta "for an extended period."

It returned to Israel approximately seven hours later, according to flight-tracking data.

The reported overflight came several hours before the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said one of its vessels was attacked in international waters near Malta early Friday.

“At 00:23 Maltese time, a Freedom Flotilla ship was subjected to a drone attack,” the coalition said, noting two strikes to the front of the vessel caused a fire and breach to the hull.

The ship, named Conscience, was carrying 16 people and humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza. Maltese authorities rescued those onboard after the ship lost power and was at “great risk of sinking.”

The source of the drone strike has not been confirmed and Israel has not publicly reacted to CNN's report.