“Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further,” said Israel Defense Force (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. The statement came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval forces seized an Israeli-owned cargo ship earlier on Saturday. The ship, which operates under the flag of Portugal, is connected to the London-based company Zodiac Maritime which is owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
According to Press TV, Iran’s first international news network, the IRGC has confirmed seizing the Israeli vessel northwest of the UAE’s port city of Fujairah. AP reported in a video that it had accessed that commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled down from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel on Saturday.
The UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) which functions as an information conduit between military and security forces on the naval front, tweeted on X that it received a report of an incident 50NM northeast of Fujairah, UAE at 0900 UTC. In its report, the UKMTO said that the “vessel was reported to have been seized by regional authorities,” and advised vessels in the area to approach with caution.
There has been no official comment from the Iranian leadership as yet.
The seizure of the vessel comes after Hezbollah had fired dozens of missiles into Israel through the day. So far no reports of mass casualties have been reported.
US intelligence officials had predicted that an attack from Iran was imminent and that it was only a matter of when. The attack comes as Iran has vowed revenge for an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which it blames on Israel. Seven Iranian members of the Revolutionary Guard, out of a total of 16 people, were killed in the air strike on April 1.
President Biden had warned Iran not to retaliate, stating the US would defend Israel.
Biden’s remarks came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the attack in Damascus was equivalent to an attack on Iran itself. “When they attacked our consulate area, it was like they attacked our territory,” he said. “The evil regime must be punished, and it will be punished.”
Many nations have issued travel advisories to its nationals not to travel to the Middle East while international airlines such as Lufthansa have suspended flights that travel over Iranian airspace till April 18.
