Iran’s navy seizes Israel-affiliated ship near Strait of Hormuz

Iranian navy commandos on Saturday seized a container ship affiliated with Israel near the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported. IRNA identified the ship as MCS Aries and claimed it is managed by a company owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. The Portuguese-fagged ship was taken under the control of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy with the help of a helicopter. The ship was on its way from the UAE to India, when the landing party disembarked. The ship had turned off its tracking data, which has been common for Israeli-affiliated ships moving through the region. After that, the ship was diverted to the territorial waters of Iran. A video circulated on media showed commandos raiding the alleged ship near the Strait of Hormuz by helicopter. The incident comes amid heightened tension in the region. Israel on Friday reported intercepting around forty missiles fired from the territory of Lebanon where Iran-affiliated Hezbollah is stationed. The attack raised fears of possible Iranian attack on Israel. US President Joe Biden made a statement on Friday, warning Iran not to attack Israel.