New Delhi : "We have learnt that there are 17 Indian nationals onboard cargo ship 'MSC Aries'", said official sources on ship seized by Iran. These Indians are on board an Israeli-linked container ship that has been seized by the Iranian military amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
Official sources said India is in touch with Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure the welfare and early release of the Indian nationals.
The Iranian action came amid increasing fears that Tehran may launch an attack on Israeli soil in retaliation to a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria 12 days ago.
"We are aware that a cargo ship 'MSC Aries' has been taken control by Iran. We have learnt that there are 17 Indian nationals onboard," said a source. "We are in touch with the Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and in Delhi, to ensure security, welfare and early release of Indian nationals," it said.
Reports said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards seized MSC Aries on Saturday morning when it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, according to an AP report from Jerusalem, the Israeli army says the body of missing Israeli boy has been found in the occupied West Bank after he was killed in a terrorist attack. The disappearance of 14-year-old Binyamin Achimair sparked a large settler attack on a Palestinian village on Friday and Saturday.
The killing of the teen and the settler rampages marked the latest in an escalation of violence in the territory, at a time when Israel is waging war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Security forces are continuing the pursuit after those suspected of carrying out the attack, the army said Saturday.
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