Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen recently seized a cargo ship with Israeli links in the Red Sea. Now stunning video of the attack has emerged. Costas Paris reports on the ship’s fate in The Wall Street Journal, writing:
Iran-backed Yemeni rebels said they hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship with 25 crew members in the Red Sea over the weekend, heightening tensions in the Gaza conflict.
The Houthis, a rebel group that controls Yemen’s north, said on X, formerly Twitter, that they are taking the vessel to the Yemeni coast and would continue to target vessels linked to Israel because of its attacks on Gaza.
Middle East brokers identified the ship as the Bahamas-flagged car carrier Galaxy Leader, which is owned by Ray Car Carriers. The company is registered in the Isle of Man and one of its owners is Israeli businessman Abraham “Rami” Ungar.
Ray Car Carriers operates a large fleet of car and truck carriers, according to its website. Iran attacked two of its vessels in the Red Sea in 2021. The ship’s manager, Athens-based Stamco Ship Management, didn’t return calls seeking comment.
The Galaxy Leader was seized off Al Hodeida, Yemen, while sailing for India. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a written statement that it strongly condemns the attack, adding that no Israelis were among the 25 crew members.
The ship’s Japanese operator, NYK Line, said the vessel had no cargo at the time of the hijacking. Its crew members are from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, NYK said. Japan on Monday condemned the hijacking.
Read more here.
BREAKING: Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released a video of a cargo ship they say was hijacked by their group.
They claim the ship is linked to Israel – but Israel has said it is UK-owned and Japanese-operated.
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