Yemeni rebels take control of vessel linked to Israel

The fighting in Gaza has caused tensions between the two countries, and the Houthi government in Yemen claims to have taken control of an Israeli-affiliated cargo ship in the Red Sea. Israel has expressed disapproval of the action, but it maintains that the ship had no relation to the nation.

The pure vehicle and truck carrier Galaxy Leader, under the flag of the Bahamas, was apprehended on Monday while en route to India, according to the Japanese operator NYK Line. The crew numbered twenty-five.

The ship is owned by British-based Ray Car Carriers, connected to one of Israel’s richest individuals, Abraham Ungar, even though it is operated by a Japanese company, according to Forbes.

Speaking on behalf of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Sarie said that the operation was carried out “on religious, humanitarian, and moral responsibility towards the oppressed Palestinian people and the unjust siege they are subjected to,” confirming that the navy had directed the vessel to the country’s coast.

Yemen would “deal with the ship’s crew in accordance with the teachings and values of our Islamic religion,” the speaker declared. He said that the Yemeni military would also “keep up military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression” ceases in Gaza.

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The ship was “staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis,” the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) emphasised, calling the action “hijacking” and a “grave incident of global consequence.” No, that ship is not Israeli.

Claiming to have intimate contacts to the Houthi rebels, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denounced what it called “another act of Iranian terrorism” and said that Tehran was behind the hijacking.

The statement was refuted by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani, who stated that different “resistance groups in the region act independently and spontaneously based on their interests.” He continued by saying that West Jerusalem was making up the story of the ship to take the focus off of their “irreparable defeat” in the war with Hamas.

Following the October 7th Hamas attack on the Jewish state, tensions between the Houthis and Israel have escalated. The Yemeni military claimed last month that it had attacked Israel with missiles and drones in support of the Palestinian cause. Prior to that, the US destroyer in the Red Sea had reportedly shot down many missiles fired from Yemen that might have been aimed at Israeli locations.