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After weeks of being held in Iran and promises that the crew of the seized containership MSC Aries would be released, the governments of Portugal, India, and Pakistan confirmed that the first seven crewmembers had left the ship. Iran last week had said all the crew would be free to leave if the captain joined them and now it is being reported the crew will be released when their contractual obligations are completed.

Portugal as the flag state of the containership confirmed that seven people of the 24 still aboard the vessel had departed. They said specifically that the first release consisted of five Indian citizens, one Filipino, and one Estonian, who was the sole European Union citizen on board.

The Portuguese government welcomes this development, for which it had strongly advocated for. Nonetheless, it reiterates to the Iranian Government that international law requires the immediate release of the remaining crew members and of the ship MSC Aries. Portugal will continue to make every effort to ensure that these international obligations are fully met, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Indias embassy in Iran posted a message on X (Twitter) confirming that its five citizens had departed Iran last night and were making their way home to India. Previously, they had arranged for the sole cadet, a female, to travel home to India where she arrived on April 19, six days after the vessel was seized.

The consulate previously said that it had been able to arrange a visit to the crew and that they were in good health. They are continuing to call for the immediate release of the additional 11 Indian citizens aboard the MSC Aries.

The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said that its one crewmember was expected to arrive back in the Philippines today, Friday, May 10. They said they are working for the release of the three remaining Filipinos aboard the ship. We hope for their eventual speedy return to their homes and families, todays statement said.

The vessel also has crewmembers from Russia and Pakistan. Iran had promised the Pakistan Foreign Ministry that it would repatriate its crewmembers while it was planning for a state visit to the country. However, there was no word on when these crewmembers might be released.

Iran reiterated its assertion that the MSC Aries broke international maritime law. They accused the vessel of turning off its AIS transmissions while in Iranian territorial waters and endangering the safety of navigation. The official position is that the vessel is detained under judicial review.

The seizure is widely seen as a retaliatory move against Israel coming shortly before Iran unleashed missiles and drones targeting Israel. The MSC Aries operates under a long-term charter to MSC but is owned by affiliates of Zodiac Maritime in which Eyal Ofer is the lead investor.

See more here:
Seven Crewmembers from Seized MSC Aries Depart Iran - The Maritime Executive

The chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says Iran has become so powerful that it fearlessly attacks the heart of the global arrogance.

The fact that the Islamic Republic attacks the heart of the [global] arrogance fearlessly and with the knowledge of all-round enmity and consequences shows the peoples power of faith, resistance, will and progress, Major General HosseinSalamisaid in Semnan Province on Monday.

Referring to Iran's recent Operation True Promise against Israel, Salami said, "By relying on the strength and power of the zealous Iranian nation, the operation was not carried out as a surprise, but by taking responsibility for it and broadcasting its images."

"From the very first moments of the operation, Iranians took to the streets to express their support for the retaliatory attack and the IRGC," he stressed.

On April 14, Iran fired morethan 300 dronesand missiles at military bases in the Israeli-occupied territories.

The large-scale attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, was a response to a terrorist Israeli raid against Irans consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus that killed 13 people, including seven IRGC military advisors.

Salami also noted that Iran achieved success whenever it faced obstacles and sanctions.

The power of the Islamic Republic establishment today is the outcome of resistance and progress in an endless war in multiple forms with different countries of the world, he said.

The Iranian nation turned sanctions into an opportunity for advancement in various fields, the IRGC chief added.

Salami noted that, "The enemy's idea of sanctioning Iran was to paralyze and make it surrender, however, our nation turned the sanction into an opportunity for progress, and this power's great achievements have been displayed to the world in various fields today."

The IRGC chief asserted that the key to overcoming sanctions and problems is "being with the people."

The United States under former president Donald Trump reinstated crippling sanctions on Iran after unilaterally walking out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018, despite Irans full compliance with the terms of the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In defiance of the illegal sanctions, Iran has made great strides in different areas and has become self-reliant in many sectors.

Read more:
Iran's authority result of resistance, advances in endless wars: IRGC chief - Press TV

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is ready for a direct attack from Iran and will respond in kind.

Citizens of Israel, in recent years, and even more so in recent weeks, Israel has been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran, the premier says in a video statement.

Our defense systems are deployed, and we are prepared for any scenario, both in defense and offense. The State of Israel is strong, the IDF is strong, the public is strong.

We appreciate the US for standing by Israels side as well as the support of the UK, France and many other countries.

I established a clear principle whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. We will defend ourselves from any threat and we will do so calmly and with determination.

I know that you, the citizens of Israel, are also keeping calm. I urge you to listen to the directives of the Home Front Command.

Together we stand, and with Gods help, together we will overcome all of our enemies, Netanyahu says.

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Here is the original post:
Netanyahu says Israel ready for direct attack from Iran, will respond in kind - The Times of Israel

Were really pleased that youve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

Thats why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.

So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we havent put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.

For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

Here is the original post:
Report: Iran begins attack on Israel, launching dozens of drones that'll take hours to arrive - The Times of Israel

Irans drone threat has been increasing in recent years. Reports on the evening of April 13 that Iran had launched drones targeting Israel are the latest example of how the Iranian drone threat is expanding across the Middle East and also threatening the world. It is a threat to the world because Iran has exported Shahed 136 drones to Russia to be used against Ukraine and it has also exported drones to Venezuela and other countries.

Iran has been investing in drones since the 1980s. It invested in drones, or what are also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or remote-piloted aircraft, because Irans air force suffered losses due to the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 and also due to the Iran-Iran war. Using cheap unmanned aircraft made sense for Iran during the war with Iraq because Iraq had better air defense systems and also had aircraft acquired from the Soviets.

By contrast the Iranians were flying aircraft the Shahs regime had acquired from the United States, but these aircraft didnt always have replacement parts of enough trained pilots. Cheap drones can be used for missions that are considered dull, dirty and dangerous.

Irans drone program consisted of simple drones in the beginning. These drones also came in several families built by various state-linked companies. They includes the Shahed family of drones and the Ababil. Iran modelled these drones on the types of drones it saw other countries using, such as the US Predator, or the Israeli Hermes and also other types of Israeli drones. Over time Iran realized that its drones, mostly used for surveillance, were not longer a weapon that allowed Iran to project the kind of power it wanted.

What Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps wanted was an instant air force. In the last decade Iran has increased its drone program exponentially. It began to invest in simple kamikaze drones, and this eventually led to the creation of the Shahed 136. The Shahed 136 is relatively simple in design, around 3.5 meters in length and 2.5 meters in width, with up to a 40kg warhead. It has a delta-wing design which may make it harder to detect from some radars. However in general what makes it successful is that it is easy to make and Iran has found success exporting them.

Iran moved Shahed 136 type drones to Yemen in late 2020 to be used by the Iran-backed Houthis.

The Houthis had already been using numerous types of drones, often with Iranian designs and advise. In addition Iran had already found success in exporting its drones and blueprints for them to Hezbollah in Lebanon and also sending drones to Iraq and Syria. For instance, in February 2018 Iran launched a drone targeting Israel from Syrias T-4 base near Palmyra. Iran also used drones to attack Saudi Arabias Abqaiq facility in 2019.

Irans drones are now a major threat, not only to the Middle East but also to Europe because Russia possesses Iranian drones. In addition Iran has used drones to attack the Kurdistan region of Iraq and to target US forces in Iraq and Syria.

According to the Washington Post an Iranian drone struck a CIA hangar at Erbil International Airport, part of a US facility at the airport in the Kurdistan region. As such, the Iranian drone program has become a growing threat and one that is rapidly increasing. The fact that Iran has decided to use drones to target Israel illustrates that Iran feels this is now the go-to tool of attack.

Iran has essentially put these drone programs on steroids in the last several years. It has used drones also to attack commercial ships and its proxies such as the Houthis in Yemen, have targeted Eilat using drones. Hezbollah in Lebanon is also believed to possess thousands of drones. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have targeted Israel with drones over the last several months. Irans drone threat is now one of its main military threats to the region, one that has surpassed its missile and other threats in many ways.

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Iran's drones and how they are used to threaten the Middle East, globe - The Jerusalem Post