Who is Abraham Rami Ungar, Israeli businessman whose vessel was hijacked by Houthis?

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group said Sunday they had seized a vessel in the Red Sea, which belongs to an Israeli businessman.

The Israeli military also confirmed the news later, terming the act "a very grave incident on a global level".

According to unconfirmed reports in Iranian media, the Houthi fighters landed on the ship by helicopter and steered it towards the Yemeni coast.

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The ship left Turkey and was headed for India, and was staffed by “civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis", IDF said in a statement.

"Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican," the statement added.

Who owns the vessel?

IDF in its statement said the ship is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm. "It is not an Israeli ship," IDF made it clear.

However, Maritime security company Ambrey said "the vehicles carrier's group owner is listed as Ray Car Carriers", whose parent company belongs to Abraham "Rami" Ungar, an Israeli businessman.

Who is Abraham (Rami) Ungar?

According to Haaretz, Abraham (Rami) Ungar is one of Israel’s richest individuals, with a total net worth of over $2 billion.

He is an international shipping mogul and one of the country’s biggest motor vehicle importers. He has also had a history of close ties to right-wing Israeli politicians.

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Apparently, he was also involved in two major political scandals in the country where he allegedly offered favours to former ministers and even ex-PM Ehud Olmert.

In 2018, he is believed to have purchased FIFA World Cup tickets for then-minister Yoav Gallant from the Likud party. In another affair, he allegedly paid an individual $10,000 a month to prevent her from testifying against then-PM Ehud Olmert.

Israel, US, Japan condemn the incident

The office of the Israeli PM labelled it as “an act of Iranian terrorism that expresses a leap in their aggression."

"This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation in Iran's belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with concomitant international ramifications vis-a-vis the security of global shipping routes."

A US military official said the seizure of the vessel "is a flagrant violation of international law"."We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew. We will consult with our allies and UN partners as to appropriate next steps," the official said.

In a separate statement, Japan also condemned the hijacking.

The alleged Houthi attack comes after calls by Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei to ban the shipment of oil and food to Israel.

(With inputs from agencies)