Tel Aviv
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday (Nov 19) confirmed the hacking of a shipping vessel in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. According to a report by the Times of Israel, the IDF said the hijacking was a very serious incident on a global scale. As per the report, the ship, Galaxy Leader, was sailing from Turkey to India with an international crew that did not include Israelis.
“This is not an Israeli ship,” the IDF added.
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The ship is registered under a British company, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar. The vessel was leased out to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking. Fifty-two members were aboard the ship.
Netanyahu's office condemns hijacking
Sharing a post on X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned the hijacking of the ship. "This is another act of Iranian terrorism and constitutes a leap forward in Iran's aggression against the citizens of the free world, with international consequences regarding the security of global shipping lanes."
The office also said that onboard the vessel were crews of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Mexican and Filipino.
Houthis threaten to attack Israeli ships in Red Sea
On Tuesday, Houthis threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea. Leader Abdul-Malik al-Huthi said that Houthis were monitoring for Israeli vessels in the commercially vital waters, even those that do not have Israeli flags.
"Our eyes are open to constant monitoring and searching for any Israeli ship," he said in a speech broadcast by the rebels' Al-Masirah TV station.
"The enemy relies on camouflage in its movement in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al-Mandab (strait), and did not dare to raise Israeli flags on its ships... and turned off identification devices," he added.
The threat comes as Houthis said they launched yet another missile targeting Israel over its war with Hamas. Since October, the Iran-backed rebels have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel.
(With inputs from agencies)
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