DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled down from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship close to the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel Saturday, the newest in a sequence of assaults between the 2 international locations.
The Center East had braced for potential Iranian retaliation over a suspected Israeli strike earlier this month on an Iranian consular constructing in Syria that killed 12 folks, together with a senior Guard normal who as soon as commanded its expeditionary Quds Pressure.
The broader Israeli struggle on Hamas within the Gaza Strip is now 6 months outdated and is inflaming decades-old tensions throughout the entire area.
Iran’s state-run IRNA stated a particular forces unit of the Guard’s navy carried out the assault on the vessel, which different media within the nation extensively recognized because the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship related to London-based Zodiac Maritime.
Zodiac Maritime is a part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Zodiac declined to remark and referred inquiries to MSC, which didn’t instantly reply.
Earlier, a Center East protection official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate intelligence issues, shared a video of the assault with The Related Press. 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 may be heard saying: “Don’t come out.” He then tells his colleagues to go to the ship’s bridge as extra commandos come down on the deck. One commando may be seen kneeling above the others to offer them potential cowl fireplace.
The video corresponded with identified particulars of the MSC Aries. The helicopter used additionally seemed to be a Soviet-era Mil Mi-17 helicopter, which each the Guard and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen have used prior to now to conduct commando raids on ships.
The British army’s United Kingdom Maritime Commerce Operations described the vessel as being “seized by regional authorities” within the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port metropolis of Fujairah, with out elaborating.
The MSC Aries had been final positioned off Dubai heading towards the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. The ship had turned off its monitoring knowledge, which has been widespread for Israeli-affiliated ships transferring via the area.
Iran since 2019 has engaged in a sequence of ship seizures and assaults on vessels have been attributed to it amid ongoing tensions with the West over its quickly advancing nuclear program.
The Gulf of Oman is close to the Strait of Hormuz, the slender mouth of the Persian Gulf via which a fifth of all globally traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the United Arab Emirates’ japanese coast, is a predominant port within the area for ships to tackle new oil cargo, decide up provides or commerce out crew.
Since 2019, the waters off Fujairah have seen a sequence of explosions and hijackings. The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for limpet mine assaults on vessels that broken tankers.
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