Yemen’s Houthi rebels released footage on Monday of a raid some of their ranks perpetrated on an Israeli-linked cargo ship over the weekend.
The Iran-backed Houthis said they hijacked the Galaxy Leader over its connection to Israel and took over two dozen crew members hostage.
“The group warned that it would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers,” according to The Associated Press.
“All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” the Houthis said.
The Galaxy Leader is a Bahamian-flagged vehicle-carrying ship that is affiliated with an Israeli billionaire.
The 25-member crew was made up of a variety of nationalities including Bulgarian, Filipino, Mexican and Ukrainian, but no Israelis had been on board, the AP said.
Footage of Houthi forces hijacking the ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea yesterday. pic.twitter.com/PSFLpV4FLA
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) November 20, 2023
Video of the raid showed a helicopter landing on the ship’s top deck.
A half dozen militants streamed out of the helicopter and swarmed the ship’s bridge appearing to take crew members hostage.
Later a Houthi militant is inside the ship’s empty cargo hold shouting “For the sake of Gaza” in Arabic, and “Allahu Akbar!” which translates to, “God is most great!”
Israeli officials said the Galaxy Leader is British-owned and Japanese-operated.
“However, ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, which was founded by Abraham ‘Rami’ Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel,” the AP reported.
Ungar told the news service he was aware of the raid, but could not comment as he awaited further details.
The ship was on its way to Pipavav, India, from Turkey when the Houthis intercepted in the Red Sea southwest of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Sunday afternoon.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels released a video showing their fighters hijacking a cargo ship in the Red Sea. Officials say 25 international crew members are being held hostage. @MarcusMoore reports as the U.S. calls it “a flagrant breach of international law.” https://t.co/WhuQDHpA5d pic.twitter.com/6JkOWaLyZG
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) November 21, 2023
The United States has stationed multiple warships in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
The U.S. Navy has shot down multiple drones and cruise missiles, reportedly originating in Yemen.
The Houthis flew Palestinian flags on the ship as they took it to an unknown location.
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