New Delhi, April 14 -- Iran on Saturday seized an Israel-linked vessel reportedly carrying 17 Indian sailors, as tensions in West Asia came to a head on Saturday, with at least six international airlines, including Air India and Vistara, altering operations in the region amid a widely expected Iranian retaliation to Tel Aviv's bombing of its embassy in Syria on April 1. India is in touch with Tehran to secure the early release of the sailors, people familiar with the matter said.

The escalation came hours after people familiar with western intelligence assessments, according to Bloomberg, said that Israel is bracing for a direct and unprecedented attack by Iran on government targets as soon as the weekend, a move that has the potential t...