While Iran is preparing for an Israeli response to its attack last Saturday, the Iranian Bahashad ship, which has been stationed in the Red Sea near Yemen for the past few months, left the area before returning to its home base.
The ship is one of Iran's most prominent assets in the region, and according to American sources, is used as a spy base in the Red Sea, helping the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran vehemently denies the report, claiming that the ship is a logistics cargo vessel.
According to Bloomberg tracking, the ship left its position off the coast of Yemen on April 4, a week before the Iranian attack on Israel, then stopped broadcasting its position until it reappeared this morning near the Strait of Hormuz. It is expected to continue on its way and later arrive at the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran.
Revolutionary Guards leaving bases, senior officers hiding in Damascus
Yesterday, (Wednesday) the Wall Street Journal reported that as part of preparations for an Israeli counter-strike, the Revolutionary Guards are taking emergency measures at the organization's bases located throughout Syria, fearing that an Israeli response will target Iran's proxies.
Some members of the Revolutionary Guards have evacuated their bases in Syria, while others have left in the middle of the night, the time when the likelihood for an Israeli strike is higher. Individual soldiers are staying behind to protect weapons caches.
It was also reported that low-ranking junior soldiers are hiding in vehicles or shops in the Syrian cities of Deir Azor and Damascus for fear of assassinations, while senior officers are renting apartments in residential buildings in order to hide in civilian-populated areas.