The seizure came amid heightened tensions between the two countries following a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including a senior Revolutionary Guard general.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, which has been ongoing for six months, is also contributing to the regional tensions.

The Revolutionary Guard commandoes rappelled down from a helicopter to take control of the ship, marking the latest in a series of attacks between Iran and Israel.

A container ship, the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, associated with Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Maritime, was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy in the Gulf.

The Guard claimed the ship was attacked for violating Iranian territorial waters, but MSC acknowledged the seizure and reported that 25 crew members were on board.

The incident could potentially escalate into a wider regional conflict, as Iran-backed forces like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen's Houthi rebels are also involved in ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Zodiac Maritime declined to comment.

An unnamed Middle East defense official shared a video of an Iranian commando attack on the MSC Aries cargo ship with The Associated Press.

In the video, Iranian commandos are seen rappelling onto the ship and a crew member urges his colleagues to go to the bridge as more commandos arrive.

One commando provides potential cover fire for his team.

The video aligns with known details of the MSC Aries attack.