‘Israeli Ships Are Legitimate Targets’: Houthi Rebels Hijack Cargo Ship in Red Sea

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants seized a cargo ship in the Red Sea and took 25 crew members hostage Sunday, ramping up their efforts to deter Israel from continuing its efforts to dismantle Hamas.

“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 on Monday.

The ship, the Galaxy Leader, is not directly linked to Israel; it sails under the Bahamian flag, is owned by Ray Car Carriers, an organization based in the Isle of Man, and is operated by a Japanese shipping company, NYK Line. The ship’s crew members — who are now hostages — are Bulgarian, Filipino, Mexican, Romanian, and Ukrainian nationals.

The tenuous tie between the Galaxy Leader and Israel comes in the form of Rami Ungar, an Israeli billionaire who founded Ray Car Carriers and still owned the company as of 2017.

In a statement his office released Sunday morning, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the hijacking and pointed the finger of blame at Iran, writing that “the ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia.”

“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 the global shipping lanes,” the statement continued.

Maritime security company Ambrey told the Times of Israel that the Houthis boarded the ship by sliding down ropes from helicopters. The Houthis posted a video of the raid on Monday.

The hijacking was the latest in a series of attacks the Houthi rebels have attempted to carry out against Israel. In October, a U.S. Navy destroyer shot down three Houthi-launched missiles headed toward Israel, and later that month, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted another that appeared to be aimed at the southern port city of Eilat. Saudi Arabia has also downed Houthi missiles launched toward Israel.

Houthi military action has not been constrained to Israel. The militia group destroyed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone as well as part of a broader Iran-backed campaign against American forces in the region.