Commandos rappelling from helicopter onto Portugal-flagged MSC Aries in Gulf of Oman off Fujairah, affiliated with Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group, are shown on video.
A Middle East defense source blamed Iran for a helicopter-led raid on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, amid rising tensions between Tehran and the West.
⭕ مصادر #الحدث:
🔴 قوات إيرانية تستولي على السفينة البرتغالية “MCS ARIES” في مضيق هرمز
🔴 السفينة التي استولت عليها قوات إيرانية “تجارية” وتحمل حاويات وكانت متوجهة إلى #الهند
🔴 20 فلبينيا كانوا على متن السفينة البرتغالية التي استولت عليها قوات إيرانية بمضيق هرمز#إيران pic.twitter.com/5zyfdjzYDv
— ا لـحـدث (@AlHadath) April 13, 2024
Zodiac Maritime’s Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries cargo ship is believed to have been involved. Zodiac Maritime is owned by Israeli millionaire Eyal Ofer.
Zodiac declined to comment and referred questions to MSC, which did not respond.
The MSC Aries was last seen off Dubai on Friday, heading for the Strait of Hormuz. Like many Israeli-owned vessels in the region, the ship turned off its tracking data.
The news agency did not share the footage of the raid, which was reported by the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations. It said the ship was “seized by regional authorities” in the Gulf of Oman off Fujairah, without providing further details.
The defense official shared the footage with the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.
In it, commandos rappelled down a ship’s deck to a stack of containers.
A ship’s crew member says, “Don’t come out.” As more commandos land, the crewman orders his comrades to the ship’s bridge. One commando kneels over the others for cover fire.
Although the AP could not immediately authenticate the footage, it matched known circumstances of the boarding, and the helicopter involved appeared to be Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has carried out numerous ship attacks.
After an April 1 attack on a building in the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus killed several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, including two generals, Israel braced for an attack from Tehran.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge seizing a ship, and official media made no mention of it. Iran has been seizing ships and attacking boats since 2019, amid concerns with the West over its rapidly developing nuclear program.
The Gulf of Oman lies near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Fujairah, on the UAE’s east coast, is a major port for ships to load oil, receive supplies and exchange personnel.
Since 2019, there have been explosions and hijackings off Fujairah. The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for limpet mine attacks that damaged tankers.
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