Israel has laid the blame on Iran after Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized control of a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
Officials from Israel have described the incident as an "Iranian act of terrorism" with consequences for international maritime security. A spokesman for the Houthi military confirmed on Sunday that its fighters were able to hijack the British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship.
Houthi Rebels Hijack Cargo Ship
It is believed that at least 22 people were onboard the cargo ship, known as the Galaxy Leader. The vessel is partly owned by an Israeli businessman and was en route from Turkey to India. It was reported that the Houthi official also announced the beginning of operations to attack Israeli-flagged ships.
Yahya Saree, a spokesman for Yemen's Houthi military said that they were treating the crew of the hijacked vessel in accordance with Islamic norms and principles. He also renewed the warning that any ship that belongs to Israel or those who support it would be a legitimate target for Houthi forces, as per Aljazeera.
Saree added that they were continuing their military operations against Israel until the aggression and ugly crimes against their Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stopped. The Houthi rebels are supported by Tehran and are responsible for launching several missile and drone attacks against Israel.
These attacks have continued since the latest assault on the besieged Gaza Strip started on Oct. 7, killing more than 12,300 Palestinians, including 5,000 children. On the other hand, the Israeli government called the hijack of the cargo ship a "very serious event on a global level."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that the country was not involved in the ownership of the vessel, nor its operation or the makeup of its international crew. The office released a statement saying that the incident represents an escalation in Iran's belligerence against the citizens of the free world."
The cargo ship's ownership details were revealed in public shipping databases and associated its owners with Ray Car Carriers. The company was founded by Abraham "Rami" Ungar, who is considered to be one of Israel's richest men, according to the Voice of America News.
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Israel Blames Iran
Ungar later revealed that he was aware of the incident about the cargo ship being hijacked but noted that he could not comment as he was still waiting for further details. Another ship linked to him experienced an explosion in 2021 in the Gulf of Oman, which was at the time blamed on Iran.
The International Maritime Security Construct on Nov. 16 issued an advisory to all mariners in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb train between Yemen and Djibouti. This was because of the threat of potential Houthi attacks in the area.
The advisory issued by the international group that tries to maintain security in regional waters warned vessels to stay as far away from Yemeni waters as possible. It also recommended travel at night whenever possible.
On the other hand, a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy's forces in the region referred a request for comment to the Pentagon. A U.S. defense official noted that they were aware of the incident and were monitoring the status of the vessel closely, said NBC News.
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