Tehran- Commandos from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard rappelled down from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel Saturday, days after Tehran warned it could close the area to sea traffic.
The Middle East had braced for potential Iranian retaliation over an Israeli strike earlier this month on an Iranian diplomatic mission in the Syrian capital that killed 16 people, including a senior general who once commanded its expeditionary Quds Force.
The wider Israeli war in Gaza is now 6 months old and is inflaming decades-old tensions across the whole region.
Iran’s state-run IRNA said the Sepah Special Naval Forces unit of the IRGC carried out the attack on the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime.
Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Earlier, a Middle East defence official shared a video of the attack. In it, the commandos are seen rappelling down onto a stack of containers sitting on the deck of the vessel.
A crew member on the ship can be heard saying: “Don’t come out.” He then tells his colleagues to go to the ship’s bridge as more commandos come down on the deck. One commando can be seen kneeling above the others to provide them potential cover fire.
The video corresponded with known details of the MSC Aries.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations described the vessel as being “seized by regional authorities” in the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of Fujairah.
The MSC Aries had been last located off Dubai heading toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. The ship had turned off its tracking data, which has been common for Israeli-affiliated ships moving through the region.
On Tuesday the naval head of the IRGC, Alireza Tangsiri, said it could close the Strait of Hormuz if deemed necessary. He said Iran viewed as a threat Israel’s presence in the UAE, with which Israel established diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the “Abraham Accords” mediated by the United States.
The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all globally traded oil passes.
Another of the strategic sea route of the Red Sea has been virtually blocked by Yemen’s Iran-backed Ansarallah led forces. Ansarallah says they only target vessels linked to Israel in retaliation for Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Biden: We’ll Defend Israel
While speaking to reporters on Friday, Biden emphasised Washington’s commitment to protecting Israel and sent a simple message to Iran–“Don’t”.
“We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.
17 Indians Onboard Seized Ship
Seventeen Indians are on board an Israeli-linked container ship that has been seized by the Iranian military amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
Official sources said India is in touch with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure the welfare and early release of the Indian nationals.
“We are in touch with the Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure security, welfare and early release of Indian nationals,” it said.
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