Sudden! The world's busiest waterway, a cargo ship was hijacked!

On the 19th, the Houthi armed forces in Yemen seized a sailing Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea and took it to the coast of Yemen.

Subsequently, Japan and the United States made strong voices demanding the immediate release of the detained ships.

Houthi armed forces hijack ship

On the evening of the 20th local time, the Houthi armed forces in Yemen released footage of the ship they detained the day before.

It can be seen from the footage that Yemeni Houthi armed personnel took a speedboat to observe and track the cargo ship named "Galaxy Leader", which is said to belong to an Israeli businessman, from a distance.

Then another group of armed men boarded the ship's plywood by helicopter, entered the cab and took control of the crew and the entire ship.

Afterwards, the ship sailed in the designated direction under the joint surveillance of Houthi armed speedboats and helicopters.

The Houthi armed forces said that all crew members were treated humanely and that the ship is currently anchored on the coast of Yemen. However, the current berthing location of the ship and the specific crew information and situation were not disclosed.

In addition, Houthi armed forces spokesman Yahya Sarria said that the interception of the ship was the group's response to Israel's "heinous acts against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank."

A few days ago, he posted on the social platform

Sarria also warned that any vessel belonging to or supporting Israel would be targeted by the Houthis.

He stressed that we confirm that we will continue military action against Israel until the aggression and ugly crimes against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank cease.

Subsequently, Al Jazeera reported that Houthi armed forces intercepted "Israeli ships" in the southern waters of the Red Sea.

However, Israel claimed that this was a ship owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese company, and that there were no Israeli citizens on board.

According to Japanese media reports, the ship named "Galaxy Leader" was chartered by the company.

The United States and Japan demand immediate release

Regarding the seizure of a ship by the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, the Israeli military subsequently responded that although the Houthi armed forces seized not an Israeli ship, the hijacking incident was still a "very serious incident with global impact."

The Israeli army also strongly condemned Iran, an ally of the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, accusing it of "committing acts of terrorism."

In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kanani said that Iran denies the above-mentioned statement by Israel. We have said many times that the resistance forces in the region act independently and spontaneously based on the interests of themselves and the people.

He also said that Israel's relevant statements were intended to divert people's attention from the "irreversible failure" it suffered in the Gaza conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office pointed out that the ship, which is owned by Britain and operated by Japan, was carrying 25 crew members of different nationalities, including Bulgarians, Filipinos, Mexicans and Ukrainians, but there were no passengers on board. Israelites.

However, the ship is obviously not completely unrelated to Israel.

Ownership details in public shipping databases show the ship is owned by Ray Carriers, a British-registered company founded by Israeli businessman Abraham Ungar, one of Israel's richest men.

Since the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Israel's large-scale military operation against the Gaza Strip, Yemen's Houthi armed forces have carried out multiple attacks on Israel through drones and ballistic missiles, and threatened to attack all Israeli ships.

This incident marks the first significant escalation of the threat posed by the Houthis to the maritime security of Israeli ships since the beginning of the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Regarding the Houthis’ actions, Reuters reported that U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller subsequently condemned the Houthi armed forces in Yemen for seizing the cargo ship “Galaxy Leader” in the Red Sea and demanded the “immediate release” of the ship and its crew.

Miller said the Houthi armed forces' seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea was a "blatant violation of international law."

He further emphasized that we demand the immediate release of the ship and crew and that we will consult with our allies and United Nations partners on the next steps.

At the same time, according to Japanese media reports, the Japanese government is currently collecting information through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and other channels, and is working with relevant countries to seek the release of the detained crew members.

In addition, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hiroyuki said that Japan is appealing to the Houthis and seeking help from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran to release the ship and its crew as soon as possible.