THIS is the chilling moment Iran’s Revolutionary Guards sneakily scale down from a hovering helicopter to seize an Israeli-linked ship.
The daring raid from the paramilitary group is the latest tit-for-tat move in the fierce waging Middle Eastern war as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vow there will be “consequences” for Iran.
Iran’s state-run IRNA announced today that a special forces unit successfully carried out the attack on the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries.
The Aries is a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime – part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group.
The group is yet to make any statement on the attack.
The ship had 25 crew members on board as the helicopter terrifyingly descended on the vessel.
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IRNA said the vessel would be taken into Iranian territorial waters.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on the world to label the Guard as a terrorist organisation after the attack.
Katz described Iran as “a criminal regime that supports Hamas’ crimes” before accusing them of “conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law”.
Terrifying footage shows a military-style helicopter hovering above the giant ship.
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A member of the Revolutionary Guards can then be seen jumping from a rope thrown down from the aircraft and onto some shipping containers.
It is thought that several others joined the commando afterwards.
The chilling video was shared to the Associated Press by a Middle East defense official.
A crew member on the ship can be heard saying: “Don’t come out” to his pals on board before telling his colleagues to go to the ship’s bridge.
The helicopter used is believed to be a Soviet-era Mil Mi-17 helicopter which has been commonly used by the Guard and the feared Houthi rebels in Yemen.
They have used the aircraft to attack shipping vessels on the Red Sea.
ISRAEL VS IRAN
Israel said on Friday, around 40 rocket launches were identified crossing into Israel from Lebanon.
They announced that most were intercepted.
For decades, since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the Jewish state and the Islamic one have been at daggers drawn.
Iran’s ruling mullahs routinely chant, “Death to Israel” and deny its right to exist.
But until now they have only attacked Israel indirectly, by sending weapons and money to anti-Israeli terrorist groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
These acted as proxies for Iran, enabling it to avoid a real war with Israel.
But since the April 1, bombing, tensions between the two rivals have reached boiling point.
Iran revealed its bone-chilling war chest days ago, including terrifying long-range missiles that can cross the Red Sea to pummel Israel directly.
The world is now holding its breath to see when, not if, Tehran will follow through on its repeated threats to launch a revenge strike.
Reports surfaced that Israel was even planning to strike nuclear targets in Iran if Khamenei did follow through on his threats.
Iran’s state media also ramped up tensions by releasing a propaganda video showing several missiles being launched today.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his country is “prepared for any scenario” as they continue to fight in Gaza.
He said: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them.
“We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the State of Israel, both defensively and offensively.”
IRAN’S TERRIFYING RESPONSE
The world has been made to wait for almost two weeks to see how Iran reacts to the missile strike that eliminated several top brass commanders.
Tehran’s embassy in Syrian capital Damascus was destroyed in a suspected Israeli strike on April 1.
Despite Benjamin Netanyahu and his team saying they had no involvement in the targeted attack, Iran is certain the strike came from them.
Iranian leader Ebrahim Rasi said the deadly strike on Iran’s consulate building in Syria “will not go unanswered”.
As he immediately pointed the finger of blame at Israel, labelling the hit a “cowardly crime“.
This has caused powerful countries such as France, Russia, India and the Netherlands to all take extra precautions as they anticipate a brutal firefight in the already war-torn region.
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As the US warned a strike is imminent and serious.
The UK has responded to the potential escalation of war by sending the Royal Marines out to the Middle East to prepare a heroic “Dunkirk-esque” evacuation plan to rescue remaining trapped Brits.
How Iran’s attack can impact the world
Iran already sees the US and the UK as its two main enemies outside of the Middle East.
Ever since the October 7, Hamas massacre, both states have fully supported Israel in their reactionary strikes and shunned Iran and their proxies.
Iran’s closest allies include the Houthis, in Yemen have been attacking British and US ships in the red sea and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria have also been condemned for their actions.
Top US generals are in constant contact with Israel to coordinate Washington’s military responses.
As British intelligence agents regularly share information with the Israelis about potential threats.
And any further attacks could not only spell devastating civilian casualties but also batter the economic market.
An all-out war between Israel and Iran will spike oil and natural gas prices.
Other major oil producers, such as from south Iraq to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will also be at risk.
Because of the UK sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Middle Eastern energy supplies have become more important than ever for the European economies
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Georgie English
