Tehran, IRNA – The Special Naval Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has seized Israel-linked MCS Aries ship near the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC Special Naval Force seized the container ship on Saturday.

Members of the force carried out a heliborne operation on the ship’s deck, directing it towards Iran’s territorial waters.

The Portuguese flagged vessel is operated by the Zodiac Maritime Shipping Company, which is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel over the regime’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1.

The attack killed seven Iranian military advisors, including IRGC senior commander Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

Iran strongly condemned the attack as a violation of international law and has promised to take revenge.

On Wednesday (April 10), Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that the strike on the consulate was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil, stressing that the Zionist regime must be and will be punished.  

The Israeli regime has been on high alert in recent days over a possible Iranian response.

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