A report drawing on multiple unnamed sources says a US Apache helicopter that was downed in the Strait of Hormuz was involved in a covert oil operation. The account states that the activity is linked to guiding oil convoys to tankers waiting offshore. According to the report, the operation uses a combination of aircraft and drones, including aerial and water drones, together with helicopters, to help direct convoys during the transfer process. It also says the operation is overseen by the US military, based on information provided by four sources in one outlet. The two reports use similar descriptions of the method, portraying the downed helicopter as part of a broader logistics effort rather than an isolated mission. Both sources frame the activity as smuggling oil through the strategic waterway, though they do not provide publicly verifiable details such as vessel names, dates, or specific locations. The claims remain attributed to the report and its sources, with no additional corroborating evidence included in the excerpts provided.