Shipping firm Maersk temporarily pauses Haifa port calls

Container shipping company Maersk said on Friday it had temporarily paused vessel calls at Israel's Haifa port, amid the country's escalating conflict with Iran, Report informs via Reuters.

The Danish company said it had not experienced any further disruptions to its scheduled operations in the region.

Haifa port, which was privatized in 2022, is owned 70% by India's Adani Ports while the remaining 30% is held by Israel's Gadot Group.

Adani Ports is the ports operating arm of Adani Group, led by billionaire Gautam Adani. Including Haifa port, the company operates four ports outside Indian waters.

Israel has been hitting Iran from the air since last Friday in what it describes as an effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and has retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel.

On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched combined missile and drone attacks at military and industrial sites linked to Israel's defence industry in Haifa and Tel Aviv.