Yemen's Houthi rebels hijack a ship with Israeli ties in the Red Sea, hold crew hostage
Israel accuses Iran of organizing this "act of terrorism" and denies that the detained vessel has ties to the Jewish state. The rebels assure that they will continue with these actions as long as the offensive in Gaza lasts.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Yemen's Iran-allied, Houthi rebels, hijacked a ship in the Red Sea and took its 25 crew members hostage. Although the vessel was flying the Bahamian flag, the assailants claimed that the ship has commercial links with Israel. The Houthis noted that this is the first attack of its kind, and it will not be the last until the Israeli ground offensive on Gaza ends. The Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident - which it described as " very serious and with global consequences" - and categorically denied that the ship had any relationship with the Jewish State.
Israel warns of "international consequences" of kidnapping
The Houthis boarded the British-owned cargo ship Galaxy Leader, operated by a Japanese company, on Sunday afternoon. The rebels confirmed responsibility for the assault and warned that "all ships belonging to or dealing with the Israeli enemy will become legitimate targets." The Japanese government condemned the act, as reported by Reuters, and demanded the release of the ship and crew. The Japanese Executive also indicated that it has requested the intervention of Saudi Arabia, Oman and even Iran.
For his part, Netanyahu accused Tehran of organizing the kidnapping in collaboration with the Houthis and warned of the "international consequences" of this "act of Iranian terrorism" for "the security of global shipping routes." The Israeli Prime Minister also stressed that among the 25 kidnapped crew members, none have Israeli nationality.
The offensive in Gaza continues
The Israeli Defense Forces' ground offensive continued to expose Hamas leaders' use of the civilian population as human shields. The troops deployed eliminated numerous terrorists who attacked them from civilian areas with anti-tank missiles and explosives and captured a large amount of terrorist infrastructure.
Israeli aviation hits Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
In addition, Israeli aviation announced that it hit Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory after receiving anti-tank missiles and mortar shells from this area. Among the points reached, the IDF highlighted " a Hezbollah military complex, a military outpost and infrastructure used to direct terrorist activity."
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