By JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Commandos from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard rappelled from a helicopter onto an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz and seized the vessel Saturday in the latest attack between the two countries.

The seizure followed a suspected Israeli strike this month on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed 12 people, including a senior Guard general.

Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has inflamed decades-old tensions across the region. With Iranian-backed forces like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen’s Houthi rebels also involved in the fighting, any new attack in the Mideast threatens to escalate that conflict into a wider regional war.

Iran’s state-run IRNA said a special forces unit of the Guard’s navy carried out the attack on the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, a container ship associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime.

Zodiac Maritime is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. Zodiac declined to comment and referred questions to MSC. Geneva-based MSC acknowledged the seizure and said 25 crew members were on the ship.

“We are working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure their wellbeing, and safe return of the vessel,” MSC said.

An Indian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief to journalists, said 17 of the crew were Indians.

IRNA said the Guard would take the vessel into Iranian territorial waters.

A Middle East defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, provided video of the attack to The Associated Press in which Iranian commandos are seen rappelling onto a stack of containers on the vessel’s deck.

A crew member can be heard saying: “Don’t come out.” He then tells his colleagues to go to the ship’s bridge as more commandos come down. One commando can be seen kneeling above the others to provide them potential cover fire.

The video corresponded with known details of the MSC Aries. Also, the commandos rappelled from what appeared to be a Soviet-era Mil Mi-17 helicopter, which both the Guard and the Iranian-backed Houthis of Yemen have used in the past to conduct ship raids.

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations described the vessel as being “seized by regional authorities” in the Gulf of Oman off the Emirati port city of Fujairah, without elaborating.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called on nations to list the Guard as a terrorist organization.

Iran “is a criminal regime that supports Hamas’ crimes and is now conducting a pirate operation in violation of international law,” Katz said.

For days, Iranian officials up to and including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have threatened to “slap” Israel for the Syria strike.

Iran since 2019 has engaged in a series of ship seizures, and attacks on vessels have been attributed to it amid ongoing tensions with the West over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

In previous ship seizures, Iran provided initial explanations about its operations to make it seem like the attacks had nothing to do with wider geopolitical tensions — though later acknowledging as much. In Saturday’s attack, however, Iran offered no explanation other than to say the MSC Aries had links to Israel.

Iran in the past largely has avoided directly attacking Israel, despite it carrying out the targeted killing of nuclear scientists and multiple sabotage campaigns against Iran’s atomic sites. Iran has, however, targeted Israeli or Jewish-linked sites through proxy forces over the decades.

Earlier this week, Guard Gen. Ali Reza Tangsiri, who oversees Iran’s naval forces, criticized the presence of Israelis in the region and in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE reached a diplomatic recognition deal with Israel in 2020, something that has angered Tehran.

“We know that bringing Zionists in this point is not merely for economic work,” Tangsiri reportedly said. “Now, they are carrying out security and military jobs, indeed. This is a threat, and this should not happen.”

The tension also could be felt in Iran on Saturday as officials publicly denied faked text messages sent in the name of civil defense authorities. Those messages urged the public to “prepare drinking water and dry food” over the “emerging emergency situation” facing the country.

The U.S., Israel’s main backer, has stood by the country despite growing concerns over Israel’s war on Gaza killing more than 33,600 Palestinians and wounding over 76,200 more. Israel’s war began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage.

On Friday, President Joe Biden warned Iran not to attack Israel. “We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed,” Biden added.

The Gulf of Oman is near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all globally traded oil passes. Fujairah, on the United Arab Emirates’ eastern coast, is a main port in the region for ships to take on new oil cargo, pick up supplies or trade out crew.

Since 2019, the waters off Fujairah have seen a series of explosions and hijackings. The U.S. Navy blamed Iran for limpet mine attacks on vessels that damaged tankers. The UAE has sought to mend ties with Iran and issued a statement condemning the suspected Israeli attack in Syria.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa Group on Saturday extended the suspension of flights between Frankfurt and Tehran through Thursday and said its planes would avoid Iranian airspace. The German carrier also said that, until at least Tuesday, flights to and from Amman will be operated as “day flights” so crews won’t spend a night in the Jordanian capital.

Dutch airline KLM said it will no longer fly over Iran or Israel, but will continue flights to and from Tel Aviv. “Safety has the highest priority,” KLM said.

___

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Krutika Pathi in New Delhi, Stephen Graham in Berlin and Thomas Adamson in Paris contributed to this report.

Related Articles

Israel bracing for potential direct attack from Iran in days

No link between Ozempic, Wegovy and suicide, EU drug regulators say

Trudy Rubin: Will Speaker Mike Johnson stand up to Trump and allow House vote on Ukraine aid?

What to know about Elon Musk’s ‘free speech’ feud with a Brazilian judge

Thomas Friedman: Israel: Cease-fire, get hostages, leave Gaza, rethink everything

At first glance, it’s quite confusing, to be certain.

This is the first time in NBA history that three teams are tied atop the conference standings with one game to play. Denver, Minnesota and Oklahoma City are all 56-25.

The Thunder are currently the No. 1 seed, while Minnesota is No. 2 and Denver is No. 3.

That’s the case, even though Minnesota has the head-to-head tiebreakers with both Oklahoma City and Denver. The Wolves split the season series with each of the two Northwest division rivals 2-2, but Minnesota owns a better division record than Denver and has the same division record as Oklahoma City, but a better Western Conference record than the Thunder.

So how, might you ask, do the Thunder win a three-way tie?

Because the first tiebreaker in that instance is record versus the other two teams. Oklahoma City won the season series versus Denver, 3-1. So the Thunder are 5-3 versus the other two teams, while Minnesota is 4-4 and Denver is 3-5.

So if the three teams remain tied after Sunday’s regular season finales, the Thunder are the No. 1 seed, and Minnesota is No. 2.

But, if Minnesota is in a two-way tie with either team atop the standings, the Wolves will be the No. 1 seed.

Clear as mud, correct? Frankly, that’s the case for the entire Western Conference playoff picture heading into Sunday’s bouts.

Dallas is already locked into the fifth seed and will meet the fourth-seeded Clippers in the first round of the West playoffs. Everything else is entirely fluid and dependent on the results of the following matchups:

Phoenix at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m.

Denver at Memphis, 2:30 p.m.

Dallas at Oklahoma City, 2:30 p.m.

Lakers at New Orleans, 2:30 p.m.

Utah at Golden State, 2:30 p.m.

Portland at Sacramento: 2:30 p.m.

For Minnesota to grab the No. 1 seed, it needs to beat Phoenix and have Oklahoma City and/or Denver lose. It’s unlikely, as Oklahoma City and Denver will be heavy favorites on Sunday, but as Denver’s loss to San Antonio showed on Friday, anything can happen.

If the Wolves beat Phoenix, the lowest they can be seeded is No. 2.

If Minnesota loses to Phoenix, the Timberwolves will likely fall to the No. 3 seed.

Here are the most likely playoff scenarios for the Timberwolves depending on Sunday’s events (which — for the sake of brevity and sanity — will all assume victories by Sacramento and Golden State, who will also be heavy favorites on Sunday. Their results can only impact seeds No. 8-10)

SCENARIO 1: Minnesota wins, New Orleans wins and Denver and Oklahoma City also win

-Minnesota would be the No. 2 seed and would play the winner of the Phoenix-Sacramento play-in game.

SCENARIO 2: Minnesota wins, the Lakers win and Denver and Oklahoma City also win

-Minnesota would be the No. 2 seed and would play the winner of the Phoenix-Lakers play-in game.

SCENARIO 3: Minnesota wins, New Orleans wins and Denver AND/OR Oklahoma City loses

-Minnesota would be the No. 1 seed and would play the winner of the final West play-in game (loser of Phoenix/Sacramento vs. winner of Lakers/Golden State)

SCENARIO 4: Minnesota wins, the Lakers win and Denver AND/OR Oklahoma City loses

-Minnesota would be the No. 1 seed and would play the winner of the final West play-in game (loser of Phoenix/Lakers vs. winner of Sacramento/Golden State)

SCENARIO 5: Minnesota loses, New Orleans wins and Denver and Oklahoma City also win

-Minnesota would be the No. 3 seed and play New Orleans in the first round

SCENARIO 6: Minnesota loses, the Lakers win and Denver and Oklahoma City also win

-Minnesota would be the No. 3 seed and play Phoenix in the first round

SCENARIO 7: Minnesota loses, New Orleans wins and Denver AND/OR Oklahoma City loses

-Minnesota would be the No. 2 seed and would play the winner of the Phoenix/Sacramento play-in game

SCENARIO 8: Minnesota loses, the Lakers win and Denver AND/OR Oklahoma City loses

-Minnesota would be the No. 2 seed and would play the winner of the New Orleans-Lakers play-in game

The Wild are running on bald tires, and it’s getting a little bit ugly as their season winds down.

Marat Khusnutdinov and Ryan Hartman scored goals on Friday at T-Mobile Center, but the Wild chased all night in a 7-2 loss that dropped Minnesota to 3-5-2 in its past 10 games with three remaining in a disappointing 2023-24 season.

Logan Thompson stopped 25 of 27 shots, and Vegas got goals from seven different players as the Golden Knights snapped a three-game losing streak and eliminated St. Louis — losers to Carolina on Friday — to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Knights scored on three of their first four shots on goal while taking a 3-0 first-period lead that was never seriously threatened by a Wild team playing without three of its best forwards.

Marcus Foligno was lost to season-ending surgery to repair core muscles on April 2, and Mats Zuccarello and Freddy Gaudreau were not in Las Vegas this week while attending to personal issues. It was unclear whether they would be available for Saturday’s game at San Jose.

“Still up for debate,” Wild coach John Hynes told reporters after Friday’s morning skate.

Nicolas Roy, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Tomas Hertl, William Karlsson and Keegan Kolesar scored for the Knights. After the last, Marc-Andre Fleury angrily threw the puck back into the net.

Khusnutdinov deflected a shot from Brock Faber past Thompson on a second-period power play for his first NHL goal, which pulled the Wild within 3-1 at 7:42. But Marchessault answered with a power-play one-timer from the slot at 13:12, and Tomas Hertl scored an even-strength goal 2:27 into the third period to make it 5-1.

Fleury made 23 saves for the Wild, Hartman scored from the left circle on a delayed penalty at 12:47 of the third period to pull Minnesota within 5-2, but Karlsson added another goal with 9:13 left in the game.

Eliminated from postseason contention by a 5-2 loss at Colorado on Tuesday, the Wild have lost 8 of 12 since March 16, and outscored 36-14 in those losses. After playing the Sharks on Saturday, they’ll be in Los Angeles on Monday before returning to St. Paul for the season finale against Seattle on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.

Rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt is scheduled to make his third NHL start in San Jose, and forward Liam Ohgren made his NHL debut in Friday’s loss after getting his first call-up on Wednesday.

Playing left wing on a line with Khusnutdinov at center and Vinni Letiieri at right wing, Ohgren had two shots on goal and clocked 3:10 of power-play time.

Atlanta did Minnesota a solid Friday at Target Center.

After Atlanta rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to hold a lead early in the fourth frame, the Hawks — who are locked into the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference play-in — sat their starters.

Meaning Minnesota just had to out-edge Atlanta’s reserves to pull of a victory.

The Wolves made it far closer than they would’ve preferred, but did manage to squeak out a 109-106 victory over the Hawks.

The Hawks won Trae Young’s 27 minutes by 16 points.

The win came on a night where Denver fell 121-120 to the Spurs, meaning the Thunder, Wolves and Nuggets are all in a three-way tie atop the Western Conference. That means Oklahoma City is currently, the No. 1 seed, but that could change via a variety of outcomes Sunday. Minnesota plays Phoenix in its regular season finale.

It wasn’t always pretty down the stretch for Minnesota, who was a little clunky all game offensively in Karl-Anthony Towns’ return from a month-long absence from a torn meniscus. Towns finished with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes.

Still, for a team that’s struggled so mightily down the stretch of close games this season — the Wolves entered the night second-to-last in clutch-time net rating since Christmas — it was nice for the Wolves to experience success with the game on the line. Anthony Edwards carried the load offensively, consistently finding his own offense over the final two minutes.

On the other end, after Vít Krejčí put a scare into Minnesota with a couple key plays midway through the frame to put Atlanta up a couple on multiple possessions, the Wolves tightened the screws defensively to take the lead.

Still, it was just a one-point game with 20 seconds to play before Edwards hit a pair of free-throws to extend the lead to three. Eight of Edwards’ 14 points came in the final frame.

Then, on the other end, Minnesota mustered a stop and Rudy Gobert hit a pair of free-throws on the other end to essentially put the game away. Gobert had 25 points on a perfect 10 for 10 shooting from the field to go with 19 rebounds.

Related Articles

Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez return to Target Center amid Timberwolves’ ownership dispute

Karl-Anthony Towns is set to return. Can Timberwolves successfully reintegrate the all-star into their lineup?

Minnesota blitzed late in loss to Denver that likely costs Wolves No. 1 seed in West

NBA won’t get involved in Timberwolves’ ownership dispute anytime soon

Report: Timberwolves prospective owners submitted budget with Wolves below luxury tax next season