Israel alleged on Sunday that an India-bound international cargo ship linked to Israel had been seized by the Yemeni Houthi-militia group in the southern Red Sea, with 25 of the crew members being taken hostage.
The attack off the Yemeni coast comes just days after the Houthis issued a graphic of an Israeli commercial ship on fire with a caption saying, “We will sink your ships.”
The Incident
According to reports, the Bahamas-flagged vessel, Galaxy Leader, was on its way to Pipavav, India, at the time of its seizure.
The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2023
The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.
According to NBC, a helicopter hovered over the ship, and several armed individuals descended on the deck at around 1300 hours on Sunday.
The vessel was travelling from Korfez, Turkey. Per satellite tracking data analyzed by AP, the ship was travelling in the Red Sea, southwest of Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, a day ago.
While Israel has claimed that the ship was owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, ownership details in the public shipping databases suggest otherwise.
According to public data, the ship is owned by Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, one of the wealthiest men in Israel.
An American defence official said the US was tracking the hijacking incident.
Galaxy Leader’s operator, NYK Line, stated that it had set up a task force to “gather information and ensure the safety of the 25 crew members aboard the chartered vessel.”
“Act of Iranian Terrorism”
The Israeli PM Office statement read, “Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel.”
“Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican,” the statement added while mentioning that no Israelis were onboard the ship.
Israel called the incident “another act of Iranian terrorism.”
It said that the hijacking constituted a leap forward in Iran’s aggression against the citizens of the free world “with international consequences regarding the security of the global shipping lanes.”
“This is the Beginning”
Commenting on the incident, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, chief Houthi negotiator and spokesperson, said, “All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy, or that deal with it, will become legitimate targets.”
Yemen's Houthi faction said it captured an Israeli ship in the Red Sea and took it to a Yemeni port. Israel said the ship was a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship https://t.co/bV0JQ4zgnQ pic.twitter.com/nG51pHiIx0
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 19, 2023
“The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in waging the sea battle, regardless of its costs and costs,” he added.
“This is the beginning,” Abdul-Salam asserted.