Red Sea Seizures of India-bound Ships: The Story of the Houthis’ Near Yemeni Kidnapping

A British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship was taken over by Yemen’s Houthis on Sunday, according to Israel, which called the event a “Iranian act of terrorism” with implications for international marine security.

Although they claimed to have taken control of a ship, the Houthis identified the vessel as Israeli. A representative for the organization said, “We are treating the ship’s crew in accordance with Islamic principles and values,” omitting any mention of the Israeli story.

An Israeli millionaire owns a vehicle carrier named Galaxy Leader, which is registered under the Bahamasn flag. It said that although the 25 crew members were of various nationalities—Bulgarian, Filipino, Mexican, and Ukrainian—there had not been any Israelis on board. According to reports, the Galaxy Leader was taken over by the Houthi rebels on Sunday afternoon local time in the Red Sea. As to NBC News, the rebels rappelled down from a helicopter to land on the cargo ship.

a ship traveling to India

The Israeli military refuted the ship’s Israeli origins. “The Huthi hijacking of a cargo ship near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence,” the army stated in a statement on X. “After leaving Turkey, the ship set sail toward India with a crew composed of citizens from many countries, except Israelis. The Israeli army said in the statement, “It is not an Israeli ship.”

There are no Israelis on board.

While denying that the ship was Israeli, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned “the Iranian attack against an international vessel” in a statement. The statement said, “The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked by the Yemenite Huthi militia with guidance from Iran.” It continued, “There are 25 crew members on board the vessel, representing a variety of nationalities, including Filipino, Mexican, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian.”

The Houthis had earlier on Sunday threatened to attack any ship flying the Israeli flag or owned or controlled by Israeli corporations. “Militant forces will continue to carry out military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression against Gaza stops and the ugly crimes… against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stop,” Huthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement on X.

Who are Houthis?

Tehran’s allies, the Houthis, have begun attacking Israel with long-range missiles and drone strikes as a show of support for the Palestinian Hamas fighters battling in the Gaza Strip.

The commander of the Houthi movement said last week that his troops will continue to assault Israel and that they may target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. “We’re aware of the situation and are closely monitoring it,” a U.S. Defense official said.

Strait of Bab al-Mandab

One of the busiest shipping channels in the world, the Bab al-Mandab Strait connects Yemen and Djibouti at the base of the Red Sea and is responsible for almost 5% of the world’s oil consumption.

Following an extraordinary assault by Hamas militants on Israel in October, the Huthis, who identify as members of the Iran-affiliated organizations’ “axis of resistance,” have conducted a series of drone and missile attacks against Israel.

According to analysts, the rebels, who now have control of much of Yemen, including the capital city of Sanaa, have more strategic than military objectives as they work to gain credibility both domestically and regionally.