Bulgarian defense chief says drones that hit ship in Black Sea came from East - Anadolu Ajansı

The drones that struck the container ship off Bulgaria in the Black Sea on Wednesday came from the East, the country's outgoing chief of defense said Thursday.

However, the data available needs to be analyzed, Adm. Emil Eftimov said in an interview with broadcaster bTV.

Bulgarian news agency BTA cited Eftimov as saying that the air force was on alert when the drones entered their territory.

Bulgarian drones were deployed to counter the threat, but severe weather conditions limited their operations, he added.

"We are not at war. The drones did not enter territorial waters, so we did not take action," he said.

There is constant communication between Bulgaria and NATO's command, he said.

His remarks came a day after another container ship ​was hit with three naval drones, approximately 21 miles southeast of Shabla.

Bulgaria has described attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea as violations of international maritime law.

Bulgarian authorities have also called for international cooperation to address attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.