Danish shipping and logistics behemoth Maersk has temporarily halted operations at Israel's Haifa port, amid the country's escalating conflict with Iran.

In a statement released on Friday, Maersk said it decided to suspend operations after “careful analysis of threat risk reports in the context of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, specifically regarding the potential risks of calling Israeli ports and the ensuing implications for the safety of our vessel crews”.

Maersk said it was in close contact with customers "impacted by this decision and are working to provide alternative transport solutions to minimise disruption".

The company said it was continuing to operate at Ashdod and that it had not experienced any other issues in its other operations in the region.