From Vesseltracker.com:
"Tue Nov 21 08:58:35 CET 2023 Timsen
The Houthi rebels in Yemen on Nov 21 published a video from the capture of the 'Galaxy Leadedr', in which armed men can be seen descending from a helicopter onto the ship and threatening the crew with weapons. The rebels, Iran's allies, claimed that it was an Israeli ship, but in Jerusalem they clarified that it is British-owned and operated by Japan. The ship sails under the Bahamian flag and is owned by the Galaxy Maritime of the Isle of Man, which is associated with Ray Car Carriers, founded by Israeli billionaire Abraham Rami Ungar. The company strongly condemned the hijack of the ship, which it said was towed to the port of Hodeidah. In light of the Houthis' threats to act against Israeli vessels or those connected to Israel, two other ships, the 'Hermes Leader' and 'Glovis Star', associated with the same company of the "Galaxy Leader" diverted their course from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. "The owners and managers believe that the seizure of this ship is a flagrant violation of the freedom of passage of the world fleet and a serious threat to international trade. The main concern at this stage is the safety and security of the 25 crew members who are now being held by the perpetrators of this criminal act"," said the company "Galaxy Maritime" The crew of the ship included citizens from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania. Report with photos and video: https://news.walla.co.il/item/3623791 https://twitter.com/i/status/1726641686309400988"
The video:
This signals the opening of a new front in the Israel war with Hamas in Gaza. This adds to their already very active forces, Hezbollah, in the north of Israel and the other terrorist groups that are now consistently rocketing US bases in Iraq and Syria.
Some thoughts:
This will continue to be highly problematic as Yemen occupies a geographic position astride most of the oil routes as well as other critical shipping lanes.
