Houthis hijack a ship. Israel reacts immediately
The Israeli army has confirmed that the Yemeni political-military movement, Houthi, hijacked the ship Galaxy Leader. The incident occurred near Yemen in the southern Red Sea. "This is a severe event at a global level. It involves a ship that departed Turkey, headed for India, bearing an international civilian crew, without any Israelis," reported the Tel Aviv armed forces.
6:26 AM EST, November 20, 2023
On Sunday, the Yemeni Houthi militia, an ally of Iran, seized a merchant ship in the Red Sea.
An Israeli Businessman Has Shares in the Company
The ship, registered under the Bahamian flag, is operated by Japan but is owned by a British company. This company is partially owned by the Israeli businessman Rami Unger. The office of the Israeli prime minister referred to the incident as "another act of Iranian terror."
The merchant ship, the Galaxy Leader, transporting cargo from Turkey to India, did not carry any crew members from Israel, as the "Jerusalem Post" reported.
Netanyahu Accuses Iran
As reported by Reuters, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described this event as "another Iranian act of terrorism." The statement emphasized that this is proof of Iran's escalating hostile actions against citizens of the free world, compromising the safety of international navigation.
The Houthi, an ally of Tehran, launched long-range missile and drone attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian group Hamas. Last week, the Houthi leader announced his forces' intention to continue attacks on Israel, with a potential focus shifting towards Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
Israeli Ships in the Crosshairs
Reports on the news channel associated with the Houthis suggest that not only ships flying the Israeli flag will be attacked but also those owned or operated by Israeli companies.
The "Jerusalem Post" indicated that vessels carrying cargo owned by Israelis or even those partially owned by them could become targets. The newspaper stressed that "such a development would alter the nature of the hijacking from seizing small cargo during the war to acts of piracy."
