Iran is preparing for an imminent Israeli attack, whether within its own territory or against its proxies in the region, amid pressure from the United States and European countries on Tel Aviv to respond in a manner that does not escalate tensions following the Iranian attack on Israel last weekend. It is difficult to predict Israel's intentions at this stage. Days have passed since the Iranian assault on Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones, and uncertainty remains: when and how will Israel respond to Iran?
Amid the ongoing escalation and war of statements between the two sides, an Iranian spy ship is sailing in the Red Sea towards the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Tracking data indicates that the ship, named "Behshad," is expected to arrive at Bandar Abbas later today, Thursday. The "Behshad," regarded as an "intelligence and logistics ship," departed from its location near the coast of Yemen on April 4 and stopped broadcasting its location until it reappeared near the Strait of Hormuz on April 18, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg News.
The "Behshad," which officially has a mission to combat piracy, was previously targeted in a cyber attack by the United States earlier this year due to suspicions of providing information to the Houthis to target commercial shipping in the region. The "Behshad" resumed operations just days after the attack attributed to Israel on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the deaths of seven prominent members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. It remains unclear whether the ship will return to the Gulf of Aden, where it was deployed to replace another ship named "Saviz," which was damaged by naval mines in 2021 during another round of escalation between Iran and Israel.
