Several large oil tankers have been seen leaving the waters around Kharg Island, an important oil export port for Iran, amid an escalation in regional tensions across the Middle East as Israel’s military operation against Lebanon continues.

Several media reports have indicated that the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) has told its empty very large crude carriers (VLCC) to leave the country’s largest oil terminal, citing data from tracking firm TankerTrackers.com and satellite images.

The vessels seem to be leaving the area after news broke earlier this week indicating that Israel is possibly planning a large-scale attack on Iran’s oil infrastructure in retaliation for a missile attack on the Jewish state.

Satellite images from late September showed several VLCCs moored near the facility. However, just a few days later, in early October, pictures of the same region shows an almost empty sea around the island.

Reports indicate that the loadings are continuing, but empty ships have now been moved elsewhere.

The move could indicate that Iran is now preparing for an attack from Israel.

On Wednesday, several news outlets citing unnamed Israeli officials said an attack on one of the biggest producers within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is being seriously considered.

According to US news reports, Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that Iran “will pay” for launching more than 200 missiles during an attack the day before.

The missile attack was retaliation for Israel’s campaign against terrorist group Hezbollah – which is backed by Iran – in Lebanon.