A day after President Biden said he expected an Iranian attack against Israel “sooner, rather than later,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards captured an Israeli-linked cargo ship in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. The crew of the Portuguese flagged, British-owned MSC AIRES is comprised of Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Russian, and Estonian nationals.
Earlier this week, Tehran said it could close the crucial shipping route and retaliate for an Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria.
Israel’s armed forces were placed on full alert on Saturday due to a possible attack. Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, said in a televised briefing, in which he claimed that Iran is “the world’s biggest state sponsor of terror” and warned that “Iran will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further.”
Gatherings and educational activities planned for the coming days were called off in Israel, and beaches will remain closed to the public, the IDF announced.
In light of the rising tension in the area, Qantas has rerouted its Perth-London flights, while Canada has warned citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank, upgrading its risk assessment of the region due to the increased threat of attacks on Israeli territory.
White House requests release of captured ship
On Saturday, the White House called on Iran to immediately release the captured ship and its international crew.
“Seizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law, and an act of piracy by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“It must be condemned unequivocally, and we will work with our partners to hold Iran to account for its actions,” she added.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivar later posted that he reiterated “the United States’ ironclad commitment to the security of Israel” during a call with his Israeli counterpart Hanegbi.
Israel ambassador to Greece warns Iran against attack
Speaking at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum earlier on Saturday, the Israeli ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, issued a warning to Iran not to launch an attack against Israel.
“Israel is a strong country; it has very strong defense measures and also the ability to react. I hope they won’t make this mistake. They received warnings from the entire international community, starting with the American president; they received the same messages from Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and also from us,” said Katz.
The Israeli ambassador advised that “democracies do not go to war lightly,” pointing out that “Israel was forced to go to war when the terrorist organization Hamas decided to launch a full-scale attack against it.”
He reiterated Israel’s goals to dismantle Hamas, release all hostages from the October 7th attack on Israel, and “create a new reality in Gaza that will no longer pose a threat to Israeli citizens.”
“The war is not against the Palestinians; it is against Hamas. Israelis, Palestinians, and all neighboring countries will benefit from this,” the Israeli ambassador stressed.
Asked about the international community’s reactions to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Katz pointed out that Hamas’ ideology is exactly like that of ISIS and observed that he did not see the international community negotiating with ISIS and leaving ISIS in place.
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