Iran's capture of Israeli ship a blow to Israeli land trade routes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
13 Apr 2024 22:15
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The IRGC-N's operation in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday has sparked the attention of Israeli analysts and former officials who believe that more is to come.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly while holding a map of "The New Middle East" clearly showing a supposed state of "Israel" occupying Palestinian, Lebanese, and Syrian territories, on September 22, 2023 at United Nations headquarters. (AP)

The capture of an Israeli-owned container ship MSC Aries near the Strait of Hormuz, by the Iranian Armed Forces, counts as a hit against the Israeli land trade route that connects "Israel" to the east via the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, according to Israeli media outlets.

Following the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) that targeted Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, Israeli authorities worked on intensifying trade operations through land routes that cut through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

The normalizing states' efforts could be considered a lifeline to the Israeli occupation, which has suffered due to the siege imposed on Israeli-affiliated ships passing through the Red Sea toward or from occupied Palestine.

Israeli broadcaster KAN said that the head of the Israeli Army Radio Danny Zaken said that the capture of the ship is "very important", as Iranians attempt to deal an "economic blow" to "Israel" similar to the one dealt by the Yemeni Armed Forces.

The importance of the operation cannot be valued based on the number of containers that the MSC Aries was transporting at the time of its capture, neither can it be assessed based on the content and personnel it carried, Zaken explained. He hinted that observers should look at the bigger picture, in other words, the effect that this operation will have on the Israeli land trade route with the east.

"I do not think that the Iranians will be satisfied [with this operation]," the head of the Israeli military's radio channel added.

Iran will do more: Former head of intelligence

The former head of the notorious Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman), Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash, said that the operation targeting the ship in the Gulf "is not the Iranian response to" the attack on the country's embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Ze'evi-Farkash said that the operation is "a first step," adding that he expects more similar events to happen in the region.

"These events will not stop and will continue and Iran will continue to manipulate the strings. It does so with wisdom and calculates its actions really well," the former head of Aman told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12.

"I think that they will attack Israeli embassies and sites around the world, maritime trading routes that Israel uses, and maybe they will directly fire at Israel," the retired Major General added.

IRGC's Navy conducts a top-tier operation in the Gulf of Oman

Earlier today, footage obtained by The Associated Press (AP) depicted the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps' Navy (IRGC-N) capturing an "Israel"-linked vessel near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. It was confirmed by the Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) that the IRGC-N did in fact capture the MSC Aries and steered it toward the Iranian coast.

This video footage shows I-R-G-C Navy boarding the "Israel"-linked MSC Aries container ship near the Strait of Hormuz. pic.twitter.com/LhRmwhnszr
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 13, 2024

In the footage, IRGC Navy members are seen fast-roping down onto a stack of containers on the vessel's deck.

A crew member aboard the ship could be heard instructing, "Don't come out," before urging colleagues to proceed to the ship's bridge as additional commandos descended onto the deck.

It is worth noting that the ship is owned by the London-based Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Group.