JERUSALEM (AP) – The Israeli military says Iran has launched a number of drones toward Israel.
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said it would take several hours for the aircraft to arrive. He said Israel was ready. He spoke Saturday evening.
Israel has been on high alert since two Iranian generals were killed in an airstrike in Syria last week. Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack and vowed retaliation. Israel has not commented on the attack.
This is the latest news. The previous story is below.
Special forces from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards rappelled onto an Israeli container ship from a helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, seizing the vessel in the latest attack between the two countries.
Seizures continued Suspected Israeli attack This month, 12 people were killed in the Iranian consulate in Syria, including a senior guard general.
Iran vows to retaliate, US President Joe Biden round up a weekend trip He returned to his Delaware beach house to monitor the situation at the White House. Israel's war against Hamas The attacks in Gaza have stoked a decade of tensions in the Middle East, and another attack could escalate the conflict into a wider regional war.
Iran's state-run IRNA said special forces from the Royal Guards Navy attacked the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship owned by London-based Zodiac Maritime.
Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group. Zodiac declined to comment, referring questions to MSC. Geneva-based MSC confirmed the seizure and said 25 crew members were on board.
MSC said it was “working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their health and the safe return of the vessel.”
White House National Security Council Press Secretary Adrian Watson said the crew was made up of Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Russians and Estonians, and urged Iran to release the crew and ship. I asked for it.
IRNA said its security forces would allow the ship to enter Iranian territorial waters.
A Middle East defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, provided The Associated Press with footage of the attack showing Iranian special forces rappelling onto containers on the ship's deck.
A crew member's voice can be heard saying, “Don't come out.” He then told his colleagues to go to the bridge as more commandos were coming down. One commando is seen kneeling over the other, providing potential covering fire.
The video matched known details of MSC Aries. The special forces rappelled from a helicopter believed to be a Soviet-era Mil Mi-17 helicopter. The helicopter had previously been used by Yemen's Guards and Iran-backed Houthis to attack ships.
The British military's British Sea Trade Operations said the ship was “seized by local authorities” in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of the Emirati port city of Fujairah, without providing further details.
This image, created from a video provided to The Associated Press by a Middle East defense official, shows a helicopter raid targeting ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Video seen by The Associated Press shows special forces raiding ships near the Strait of Hormuz. On Saturday, a helicopter attack on the Strait of Hormuz. Middle East defense officials blamed Iran for the attack amid growing tensions between Tehran and the West. The Middle East defense official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters. (AP photo)
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on countries to list the Guard as a terrorist organization.
Katz said Iran is “a criminal regime that supports the crimes of Hamas and is currently engaging in acts of piracy in violation of international law.”
Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, have for several days threatened to “knock down” Israel's attack on Syria.
Israel is bracing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran and is ready for “any scenario,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.
“Whoever hits us, we will hit them. We will protect ourselves from all threats and do this calmly and with determination.”
The United States, Israel's main supporter, has backed Israel despite growing concerns over Israel's war in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,600 Palestinians and injured more than 76,200. I have supported it. Israel's war began with an Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
The Pentagon said Saturday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart “to discuss urgent threats in the region…” and pledged full U.S. support to protect Israel from any attack by Iran and its regional proxies. They announced that they have revealed what they can expect. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also met with the president's aides to reinforce Washington's “resolute commitment to Israel's security.”
Meanwhile, in Iran, authorities publicly denied that a fake text message was sent in the name of civil defense officials urging citizens to “prepare drinking water and dry food” due to a “new emergency.”
Iran has carried out a series of ship seizures since 2019, with the attacks believed to be carried out by Iran amid ongoing tensions with the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.
In previous episodes, Iran's initial explanation, which it later acknowledged, made it seem as if the attacks were unrelated to broader geopolitical tensions. But in Saturday's attack, Iran only said MSC Aries had ties to Israel.
Iran has largely avoided direct attacks on Israel, despite targeted killings of nuclear scientists and sabotage at Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran targets Israeli and Jewish-related sites through its proxies.
Amid concerns over rising tensions, Lufthansa Group said on Saturday it would extend the suspension of flights between Frankfurt and Tehran until Thursday and its planes would avoid Iranian airspace. The German airline also said flights to and from Amman would operate as “daytime flights” until at least Tuesday to ensure crews do not spend the night in the Jordanian capital.
Dutch airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced that it will no longer fly over Iran or Israel, but will continue to operate flights to and from Tel Aviv.
The Gulf of Oman is located near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which one-fifth of the world's traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, is a major port for ships to load new oil cargoes, procure supplies and exchange crew.
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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Krutika Paty in New Delhi, Stephen Graham in Berlin, Thomas Adamson in Paris and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report. .
