On 20th November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels released video footage of armed men capturing a cargo ship on the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels have been claiming that they captured the ship because it is an “Israeli ship”. As per reports, the ship is British-owned and Japanese-operated.
Yemen's Houthis have released a video showing armed men seizing a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 20, 2023
The Iran-backed group claimed the ship was linked to Israel – but Israel has said it is British-owned and Japanese-operated.
Latest updates: https://t.co/AUeDLwAclk pic.twitter.com/lB8OCCmrVt
Meanwhile, Japan has said that it is “directly approaching” Houthi rebels, who recently hijacked an international cargo ship in the Red Sea, according to ANI.
Tokyo announced on Monday that it is “communicating with Israel” in addition to other countries to get the ship named ‘Galaxy Leader’ released. The ship is notably owned by an Israeli businessman and is run by a Japanese company.
The previous day, as the ship was travelling from Turkey to India, it was attacked by a group of rebels from Yemen. According to the group, Israel’s “heinous acts” in Gaza were the reason behind the attack, Al Jazeera reported.
The Japanese government has strongly condemned this action. Tokyo has asked other nations that are concerned, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and others–to take part in efforts to get the rebels to promptly release the ship and the captives.
Yemen's Houthis said they seized an Israeli ship in the southern Red Sea and took it to a Yemeni port. Israel said the ship had neither Israeli owners nor crew https://t.co/bV0JQ4zgnQ pic.twitter.com/1wnfQz7TtW
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 20, 2023
In addition to directly addressing the Houthis, Tokyo is “communicating with Israel, and stated that it is also urging Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran and other countries concerned to strongly urge the Houthis for the early release of the vessel and crew members, according to Al Jazeera.
“Our government will continue to take necessary measures in cooperation with the countries concerned while taking into account the situation,” Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the hijacking of an international vessel by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea on Sunday and called it a “very serious incident on the global scale.”
Taking to X, the Israeli PMO said, “Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel. The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran’s guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia.”
It also shared, “Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican. No Israelis are onboard.”
Condemning the hijack, it said, “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.”
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that the ship was sailing from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew, without any Israelis aboard, and added, “This is not an Israeli ship,” The Times of Israel reported.
It is notable here that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have declared war on Israel after Israel started its counteroffensive against Hamas in the Gaza strip. In the past weeks, many of Houthi’s rockets have been fired at Israel, some falling on the sea and some falling short. Houthis have also requested Jordan and Saudi Arabia to allow them to use their territory to attack Israel, which has been denied by both nations.
As per the released video, a Houthi helicopter with the flags of Yemen and Palestine dropped a team of armed Houthis onto the cargo ship ‘Galaxy Leader’ while it was crossing the Red Sea. The armed men then took control of the ship. Houthis have declared that they seized the ship because it was ‘Israel’ and the crew members are being treated as per ‘Islamic principles’. As per reports, the crew are of mixed nationalities, including Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine & Mexico.
It is notable here that the Red Sea area is an important trade route and shipping disruptions there can create a supply chain crisis in the whole world. Commercial ships sailing in international waters are protected under international laws and the seizure of the vessel can raise major repercussions against the Houthis.
(With inputs from ANI)
