Houthi rebels release video of Israeli ship hijacking
The footage shows a helicopter landing on the top deck of the Galaxy Leader, with heavily armed men from the Iranian-backed organisation storming the ship | WATCH
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have released a video allegedly showing the moment they hijacked an Israeli ship in the Red Sea.
NEW: Yemen's Houthi rebels have taken over an 'Israeli-linked' cargo ship in international waters taking 25 crew members hostage
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 20, 2023
The Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, say they will continue to target Israeli linked ships until the Israel-Gaza conflict is over
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The footage shows a helicopter landing on the top deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, with several heavily armed men from the Iranian-backed organisation alighting before fanning out across the ship.
It shows the terrorists opening the door of the ship’s bridge, with one crew member holding up his arms in surrender, while another cowers as a gun is held at his face. Speedboats with Palestinian and Yemeni flags are shown surrounding the ship and guiding it towards the Yemeni coast.
One of the Houthi militants shouts anti-American and anti-Israel slogans as he walks through the ship.
“God is the greatest, death to America, death to Israel, cursed be the Jews, victory to Islam,” he shouts.
Western intelligence sources say Iran was behind the attack, The London Times reports.
The sources claim the order was given by Brigadier General Abdolreza Shahlaei, a veteran commander in the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who has spent much of the past decade in command of the main Iranian unit supplying the Houthi rebels in Yemen. While he is in Tehran at present, the sources say he still commands dozens of Iranian officers based in Yemen and remains in charge of liaison with the Houthis, according to The Times.
He is on the US government’s designated terrorist list for allegedly having planned an attack in 2007 in which American soldiers were killed in Iraq.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday: “All countries must end trade, political ties with Israel to force it to end Gaza genocide”.
The ship belongs to Ray Car Carriers, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar, one of Israel’s richest men. The vessel was leased to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking and had been sailing from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew, without any Israelis aboard.
The hijacking came after the Houthis threatened to target Israeli shipping over the Israel-Hamas war.
“Israeli ships are legitimate targets for us anywhere… and we will not hesitate to take action,” Major General Ali Al-Moshki, a Houthi military official, told the group’s Al-Massirah TV station.
The Galaxy Leader was seized off al-Hodeida, Yemen, while sailing for India. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it strongly condemned the attack, adding that no Israelis were among the 25 crew.
The ship’s Japanese operator, NYK Line, said the vessel had no cargo at the time of the hijacking. Its crew members are from T\he Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, NYK said. Japan on Monday condemned the hijacking.
Yemen’s coastline overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a narrow pass between Yemen and Djibouti at the foot of the Red Sea. It is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and carries about a fifth of global oil consumption.
“The threat of disruption to shipping in the wider region is likely to rise,” Torbjorn Soltvedt of the risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft told AFP.
“If security concerns compel shipping companies to avoid the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the result will be significantly higher costs due to the lack of alternative routes.”
With AFP
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