Daniel Hagari, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Spokesperson, said that Iran “will bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further” after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commandos seized a partially “Israeli”-owned shipping vessel near the Strait of Hormuz earlier today.

 

Hagari does not explicitly mention the incident, but warned that “Iran is the world’s biggest state sponsor of terror. Its network of terror doesn’t just threaten the people of Israel, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria; the regime in Iran fuels the war in Ukraine and beyond.”

 

“Israel is on high alert. We have increased our readiness to protect Israel from further Iranian aggression. We are also prepared to respond,” he added.

 

Also Read: Netherlands to close its embassy in Tehran as precaution

 

Earlier today, A video obtained by the Associated Press showed Iranian commandos raiding a ship near the Strait of Hormuz onboard a helicopter.

 

A Middle Eastern defense official said that Iran was behind the attack. The vessel -MSC Aries- was flying the flag of Portugal with 20 Filipinos on board and was bound for India.

 

The ship is partially owned by Zodiac Maritime, a company part of “Ofer Global” chaired by “Israeli” billionaire and businessman Eyal Ofer.

 

The detained ship is currently being moved to Iranian waters - according to Iran’s official news agency “IRNA”.