India, Israel Associated Cargo Ship Hijacked By Houthis In Red Sea (Image: vesselfinder.com)
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group reportedly hijacked an Israel associated cargo ship, which was heading to India, on Sunday. Houthi movement or Ansar Allah is an Islamist, political and armed organization in Yemen, and the group had previously threatened to target ships linked to Israel. The vessel, Galaxy Leader, is said partly owned by an Israeli firm.
The seizure gained a global attention since it was done in the Southern Red Sea, a crucial shipping route, and it”s said connection with Israel as Tel Aviv is moving to third month of its war against the Palestine. The incident heightened fears, across the world, as it symbolizes the cross bordering of a regional tension even affecting the maritime front. “All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” the Associated Press quoted the Houthis.
The Galaxy Leader was sailing from Turkey to India, when it was seized by the Iran-backed Houthis. The group earlier vowed to target all ships linked to Israel or display its flag in the Red Sea. The Israeli authority admitted that the vessel is partly owned by an Israeli company, but claimed that none of their citizens were on board. According to Al Jazeera, the ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.
El ejército de Yemen capturó al buque “Galaxy Leader” de Israel en una operación exitosa dentro de sus aguas en el Mar Rojo afirmando que no permitirán transitar a los israelíes por su zona exclusiva en repudio a la masacre que cometen los sionistas en Gaza.
¡Fuerza Palestina! 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/gadD0SSTxp— Roy Lugo (@Zroy34) November 20, 2023
At least 25 crew members were expected taken in hostage and the vessel was said operated by Japanese men. The Associated Press quoted Mr Ungar, who is an international shipping mogul and one of Israel’s biggest motor vehicle importers, that he was aware of the incident but could not comment as he waited details. A ship linked to him experienced an explosion in 2021 in the Gulf of Oman. Israeli media blamed it on Iran at the time.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sare’e said that the seizure of the ship was in response to the “heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank”. “If the international community is concerned about regional security and stability, rather than expanding the conflict, it should put an end to Israel’s aggression against Gaza,” he wrote on X.
On November 19, Mr Sare’e took to his X and reiterated the threat against Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, extending Yemen’s solidarity with Palestinian people in the wake of the “brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza”. According to him the Yemeni Armed Forces will target ships carrying the flag of the Zionist entity (Israel), ships operated by Israeli companies and those who were owned by Israeli companies.
*The Yemeni Armed Forces announce that they will target all of the following types of ships:
1. Ships carrying the flag of the Zionist entity
2. Ships operated by Israeli companies
3. Ships owned by Israeli companies.
— Yahya Sare”e (@Yahya_Saree) November 19, 2023
