Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces confirmed that it had hijacked and seized control of the Bahamian-flagged RoRo vessel “Galaxy Leader” early today off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea.
Statement:
In a statement, the Houthis announced that “The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a military operation in the Red Sea, the results of which were the seizure of an Israeli ship and taking it to the Yemeni coast. The Yemeni armed forces deal with the ship’s crew in accordance with the teachings and values of our Islamic religion.”
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The statement also reiterated previous statements that any Israeli owned or operated vessel will now be considered a target by the group.
“The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or dealing with it that they will become a legitimate target for the armed forces. It calls on all countries whose nationals work in the Red Sea to refrain from any work or activity with Israeli ships or ships owned by Israelis,” the statement added.
The statement concluded by saying that “The Yemeni armed forces confirm that they will continue to carry out military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression against the Gaza Strip stops and the heinous crimes that continue until this moment against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stop.”
Context:
Earlier today, reports emerged that Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces hijacked the Bahamian-flagged roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel “Galaxy Leader” off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea as it was transiting to India.
The vessel is owned by a British company with links to Israeli business tycoon Abraham Ungar, but was being leased out to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking, according to the Times of Israel. The Galaxy Leader is a roll-on/roll-off vessel, which are normally used for transporting cars and other wheeled vehicles.
Unconfirmed reports overnight that ??-flagged GALAXY LEADER, a vehicle transport carrier, was attacked by Houthi militants off the coast of Yemen. pic.twitter.com/vyOM2l0l0d
— The Intel Crab (@IntelCrab) November 19, 2023
The hijacking comes as the Houthi’s announced that its forces would attack Israeli-owned vessels, Israeli-operated vessels, and “Ships carrying the flag of the Zionist entity.”
The IDF released a brief statement, calling the hijacking a “very grave incident of global consequence.” Likewise, the statement added that the vessel was “staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.”
