JNS: The apparent Iranian attack on an Israeli-owned civilian cargo ship is a wider threat against shipping and comes as part of retaliation for the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist. Meanwhile, Iranian proxy warfare against the United States has returned to the region.
“Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets” Ezekiel 38:5 NIV
Recent events have demonstrated that Iran is engaging in two, parallel “shadow wars”: one against Israel and the second is against the United States. The explosive attack against an Israeli-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Feb. 26—likely caused either by missiles fired from an Iranian ship or by limpet magnet mines stuck onto the ship by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ elite divers—appears to be a demonstration of capabilities by Tehran and a wider threat against Israeli shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf region.
The attack did not cause any casualties, and the ship is undergoing repairs, leading some observers to assess that it was designed to avoid causing serious damage to prevent a wider regional escalation. Even so, the attack appears to be a direct attack by Iranian military forces on a civilian ship, and the incident cannot be divorced from Iran’s threats to avenge the assassination of its chief nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, on Nov. 27.
Israeli government officials have reportedly vowed to respond to the incident. Read More
