Houthi rebels hijack Israeli ship Galaxy Leader in Red Sea

The US has demanded the release of an Israeli cargo ship after Tehran-backed Houthi rebels rappelled from a helicopter and hijacked the vessel amid fears of a wider conflict.

The US has demanded the immediate release of an Israeli ship hijacked by Tehran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday, amid fears of a widening regional conflict.

The militants rappelled from a helicopter onto the deck of the cargo ship in a retaliatory hijack because of Israel’s conflict in Gaza.

Israel said the hijacking of the ship, with 25 crew, was “a very grave incident of global consequence”.

The US National Security Council said in a statement:“The Houthi’s seizure of the vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea is a flagrant violation of international law. We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew. We will consult with our UN partners for the appropriate next steps.”

The office of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran, which provides weaponry and financial backing to the Houthi rebels for the incident and said the ship was not Israeli but was owned by a British company, and operated by a Japanese company.

‘We strongly condemn the Iranian attack against an international ship,’’ Mr Netanyahu’s office said, noting that it was hijacked on Iranian whim by the Houthi militia in Yemen.

“The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.”

“This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation in Iran’s belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with international ramifications for the security of global shipping routes.”

However registration papers in the Isle of Man show the ship’s owners are Ray Car Carriers, a company founded by Abraham ‘Rami’ Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.

The Times of Israel reported that Mr Ungar is aware of the incident but is unable to comment.

The paper also reported that Mr Ungar is also closely linked to Yossi Cohen, the former director of Israel’s Mossad.

Sunday’s hijacking, which took place off the coast of Yemen comes a day after the Houthis issued dramatic warnings that “we will sink your ships” with a graphic of an Israeli commercial ship on fire.

The hijacked ship is the Bahamian-flagged Galaxy Leader which can carry 5100 vehicles, and was attacked by the team of armed men after it had travelled through the Suez Canal and was heading south through the Bab al-Mandab Strait from Turkey en route to Pipavav, India.

The aerial assault on the ship occurred around 150 km off the Yemen coastline and the ship has been taken to Yemen, possibly to the port of Salif.

Late last week the International Maritime Security Construct, issued an advisory to all mariners in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb trait between Yemen and Djibouti warning ships to stay as far away from Yemeni waters as possible and recommended travel at night.

The 25 crew members on board, mainly from Ukraine, Bulgaria, The Philippines and Mexico are being treated “in accordance with Islamic principles and values”, the Houthi rebels spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

He said the Houthis “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.”

He reiterated the Yemeni warning to all ships with Israeli links that they will become “a legitimate target” and urged people in the Red Sea to avoid any activity involving Israeli ships or ships owned by Israelis.

He said: “Yemeni armed forces confirm that they will continue to carry out military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression against Gaza stops and the heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stop.”