A cargo ship from Turkey bound for India has been hijacked in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The ship had approximately 50 crew members on board from various countries. It is not known if there are Indians on board the “Galaxy Leader”.
The Israeli military confirmed the hijacking, posting on X, formerly Twitter: “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very serious incident with global consequences. The ship left Turkey bound for India. , staffed by citizens of different nationalities, excluding Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.”
The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very serious incident with global consequences.
The ship left Turkey bound for India, crewed by citizens of various nationalities, excluding Israelis. It’s not an Israeli ship.– Israeli Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2023
“Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack on an international ship. The ship, owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked by the Yemeni Houthi militia under the direction of Iran,” said a message on X from the Israeli Prime Minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
“We brought an Israeli cargo ship to the Yemeni coast,” AFP news agency quoted a Houthi official as saying. A maritime source in the coastal city of Hodeida said the ship had been taken to the port city of Salif, AFP reported.
“The Bahamian-flagged vessel is registered to a British company, part-owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar, who goes by the name Rami. The ship was leased to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking,” The Times of Israel reported. .
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have vowed to target Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea. “The Yemeni Armed Forces… confirm that they will continue to carry out qualitative attacks with missiles and drones until Israeli aggression stops,” said a Houthis military statement broadcast on the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV earlier this month.
The Houthis captured the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large parts of the country.
They previously carried out attacks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which were waging a military campaign against the rebels.