Two Pakistanis aboard Israeli-linked ship seized by Iran

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistanis are reportedly on board the Israel-linked container ship seized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, with the Foreign Office raising the issue with Tehran for their release, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday seized a container ship “related to the Zionist regime (Israel) in the Gulf,” state media reported a day earlier.

“A container ship named ‘MCS Aries’ was seized by the Sepah (Guards) Navy Special Forces by carrying out a heliborne operation,” IRNA state news agency reported.

It added that the operation took place “near the Strait of Hormuz”, a waterway vital to world trade, and “this ship has now been directed towards the territorial waters” of Iran.

Vessel tracking websites, vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com, say MSC Aries is a Portuguese-flagged container ship. Both sites give its last reported position as in the Gulf.

The surging tensions come against the backdrop of the six-month war waged by Israel against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza. The conflict has since drawn in regional actors including groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have carried out dozens of missile and drone attacks against shipping in the Red Sea area, and in November seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel, the Galaxy Leader. The crew are still being held.

Tehran has supported Hamas, but repeatedly denied direct involvement in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel that started the war.

Meanwhile, the family of the Pakistanis on board the ship asked the government of Pakistan for help.

Sources told ARY News that the Foreign Office has raised the issue with Iran government and forwarded the details of the two Pakistanis – which according to them has reached Tehran.

Iran attacks Israel

Amid growing tensions, Iran launched the attack over Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1 that killed top Revolutionary Guards commanders and followed months of clashes between Israel and Iran’s regional allies, triggered by the war in Gaza.

However, the attack from hundreds of missiles and drones, mostly launched from inside Iran, caused only modest damage in Israel as most were shot down with the help of the US, Britain and Jordan.

An Air Force base in southern Israel was hit, but continued to operate as normal and a 7-year old child was seriously hurt by shrapnel. There were no other reports of serious damage.

“We intercepted, we repelled, together we shall win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media ahead of a planned 1230 GMT meeting of the war cabinet to discuss a response to the attack.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said despite thwarting the attack, the military campaign was not over and “we must be prepared for every scenario”.

Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official overnight as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said Tehran had informed the United States its attack on Israel would be “limited” and for self defence. He said Israel’s neighbours had also been informed of its planned strikes 72-hours in advance.