Ukrainians among ship’s crew on board hijacked by Yemeni Houthis in Red Sea

The Galaxy Leader ship. Photo: Marinetraffic.com

A group of Houthis, members of an Iran-supported Yemeni movement, have hijacked the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship with an international civilian crew, some of whom are Ukrainian citizens, in the Red Sea.

Source: The Times of Israel; The Jerusalem Post

Details: The Israel Defense Forces said the hijacking of a shipping vessel in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen is a “very serious incident on the global scale.”

Advertisement:

The IDF added that the ship was sailing from Türkiye to India with an international civilian crew, without any Israelis aboard.

“This is not an Israeli ship,” the IDF stressed.

The vessel was sailing under the Bahamian flag and is registered under a British company, which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar, also known as Rami. The vessel was leased out to a Japanese company at the time of the hijacking, The Times of Israel reported.

The Office of the Prime Minister of Israel said in a statement that the British-owned vessel operated by a Japanese company was “hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia”. 

The statement also said that there are 25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos and Mexicans onboard the vessel, but no Israelis.

“This is another act of Iranian terrorism and it 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 concluded.

Previously: Yahya Sarea, spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, said that the group would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or flying the Israeli flag on Sunday, 19 November.

Sarea called on countries to recall their citizens working onboard such ships.

Support UP or become our patron!