Author: Steven Sahiounie

The special naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have seized Israel-linked MSC Aries container ship near the Strait of Hormuz, official news agency IRNA reports. The ship was impounded by the Sepah Navy Special Force (SNSF) in a heliborne operation and rappelling of forces on the ship’s deck, the agency said Saturday. “The ship has now been directed towards the territorial waters of our country,” IRNA said. The Portuguese-flagged ship, operated by Zodiac Maritime, is owned by Israeli real estate, energy, technology and shipping magnate Eyal Ofer, it added. Zodiac Maritime is part of the Israeli billionaire’s Zodiac Group. A video released by IRGC…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared for a “direct attack from Iran”. “Our defence systems are deployed; we are prepared for any scenario, both in defence and attack,” he said in a televised statement, adding that Israel had the backing of the United States and “many” countries. Source: AlJazeera

Iraq’s Transport Ministry has announced that the country’s airspace is now closed. The management of Erbil International Airport also confirmed in a press statement that the decision to close Iraqi airspace also included the Kurdish region of Iraq. Source: AlJazeera

A Palestinian father-of-seven Saturday evening died in Israeli custody, according to the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission (PAC) and the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS). They said in a joint press release that 59-year-old Abdul-Rahim Abdul-Karim Amer, a resident of the city of Qalqilya, died in the Israeli Hadarim prison, and described him as another Palestinian worker who died due to Israeli repression, torture and detention. There is no clear information yet on the circumstances surrounding the death of Amer, who along with his son were looking for employment opportunities when they were detained by the Israeli occupation forces from Tira city in Israel…

Only a day after France’s Foreign Minister said that pressure, and possibly sanctions, must be implemented on “Israel” to open crossings and allow the passage of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, Stephane Sejourne has retreated in a session before Parliament. Speaking with RFI radio and France 24, Stephane Sejourne said, “There must be levers of influence and there are multiple levers, going up to sanctions to let humanitarian aid cross checkpoints.” “France was one of the first countries to propose European Union sanctions on Israeli settlers who are committing acts of violence in the West Bank. We will continue if needed to obtain the opening…

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against the occupied territories in response to the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack of April 1 against the consular section of the Islamic Republic’s Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus, reports say. The strikes were launched on Saturday night, with some reports saying that the Islamic Republic launched a number of attack drones towards the occupied territories. Iran has not officially acknowledged retaliatory strikes yet. Reuters news agency reported that the Islamic Republic has not yet launched missiles in its retaliatory military action against the occupying regime, adding that there is likelihood of it targeting the…

Israel will “pay the price” for its oppression in Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas. In a phone call with Abbas, Erdogan said: “All means must be mobilized for a cease-fire in Gaza, including (the implementation of the) UN Security Council resolution,” according to Türkiye’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun. “No matter what, we will continue to stand tall against Israel’s barbaric attacks on Gaza, and Israel will surely pay the price for this tyranny,” Altun quoted Erdogan as saying. Erdogan also underlined the necessity for unity among all Palestinian groups and stressed the importance…

The 45th Saudi relief plane, operated by the aid agency KSrelief in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, arrived on Friday in Egypt carrying food and shelter items to be transported to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.The assistance is part of the Kingdom’s historic role of supporting Palestinian people in times of crisis.Meanwhile, waterborne diseases are spreading in Gaza due to a lack of clean water and rising temperatures, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Gaza said on Friday.Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery and hepatitis A, according to the World Health Organization.Since…

The Russian Foreign Minister holds a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, reiterating Russia’s ‘strong condemnation’ of the Israeli attack on the consulate. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s top diplomat, expressed criticism of the Israeli airstrike that resulted in the martyrdom of several Iranian, Syrian, and other personnel at the Iranian consulate in Syria during a recent phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. “The focus was on the situation in the Middle East. Russia reiterated its strong condemnation of the April 1 Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. It emphasized that any attempt to…

US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later,” and warned Tehran not to proceed.Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden said simply, “Don’t,” and he underscored Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.”Earlier, White House spokesperson John Kirby said the reportedly imminent attack by Iran on…