Dramatic video showed Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen seizing what they saw as a cargo ship linked to Israel in the Red Sea on Sunday – but Israeli officials insisted the ship had no ties to the country.
Armed fighters jumped onto the deck of the Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader from a helicopter and quickly held the 25 crew members at gunpoint, footage released Monday by Houthi Al Masirah television station showed.
Their entry was similar to the method used by the Iranian military during the seizure of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Times of Israel said.
One of the rebels was heard shouting what sounded like Houthi slogans as he walked the deck.
The move was the first official entry into a foreign war by the Houthis, designated a terrorist group by the US until February 2021.
The seizure is believed to have occurred about 90 miles off the coast of the Yemeni port city of Hodeida while the Galaxy Leader was en route from Turkey to India, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Armed Houthi rebels boarded the Galaxy Leader on Sunday. Houthi movement via Getty Images
“All ships belonging to Israel’s enemies or dealing with them will be legitimate targets [until the bombardment of the Gaza Strip ends],” the Houthis said of the loot.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthi’s chief negotiator and spokesman, also said in an online statement that the Israeli government was only responding to “the language of violence.”
“The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in launching a naval battle, regardless of the cost and the cost,” he said.
“This is the beginning.”
The 25 crew members were held at gunpoint and taken hostage. Houthi Movement via Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office slammed the seizure as an “act of Iranian terrorism,” while the Israeli military called it a “very serious incident of global consequence.”
Israeli officials also insist that the Galaxy Leader is actually British-owned and operated by Japan — although public shipping database records seen by The Post show that the ship’s owner is linked to Ray Car Carriers, founded by Israeli billionaire Abraham “Rami” Ungar.
Ungar declined to comment on the incident to The Associated Press, saying he was waiting for more information.
The ship’s operator, Japan-based NYK Line, said the ship had no cargo on board at the time of the seizure.
Rebels jump onto the deck from a helicopter. ANSARULLAH MEDIA CENTER/AFP via Getty Images
The crew is from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, NYK said.
On Monday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government would do everything possible to secure the release of the crew through negotiations with the Houthi rebels.
Japan will also communicate with Israel and cooperate with the governments of Iran, Oman, and Saudi Arabia during the process, he added.
At the time of the initial announcement, the Houthi rebels said they were treating the crew of the Galaxy Leader “according to their Islamic values,” but did not elaborate on what that entailed.
Later pictures show the Galaxy Leader escorted by a Houthi ship. via REUTERS
The captain and first mate on the Galaxy Leader are both from Bulgaria, authorities confirmed Monday.
“No one has contacted us so far,” the country’s top police official, Zhivko Kotzev, told reporters, adding that authorities were in contact with the victim’s family.
The Houthis have repeatedly threatened Israeli ships off the coast of Yemen over the past several years, said Yemen expert Gregory D. Johnsen.
Rebels attacked the ship from the air, video showed. via REUTERS
The attack benefited the group’s benefactors in Tehran, and also raised their profile in Yemen, he explained.
The Red Sea trade route has become increasingly tense since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
At least twice in the past month, US warships stationed in the area have intercepted missiles or drones from Yemen believed to be targeting Israeli or American ships.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
