Israeli ship coming to India was hijacked(hijacked)

Jerusalem. Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Sunday hijacked  (hijacked) a cargo ship belonging to Israel bound for India in the vital Red Sea shipping route, Israel said. When Israel got information about the incident, the ship was in Korfez, Turkey and was heading towards Pipavav, India. After this incident, it is feared that regional tension due to Israel-Hamas conflict may spread to a new maritime front.

There was no immediate comment from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The rebels had threatened on Sunday to target ships belonging to Israel in the Red Sea. Last month, Houthi rebels were suspected of sending missiles and drones through the vital sea shipping route.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the hijacked Bahamas-flagged ship was carrying 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Bulgarian, Filipino, Mexican and Ukrainian, but no Israelis. Netanyahu’s office condemned the kidnapping of the ‘Galaxy Leader’, calling it an “Iranian terrorist act.” The Israeli military described the kidnapping as “a very serious incident with global consequences.”

Israeli officials insisted that the ship was British-owned and operated by Japan. However, ownership details in public shipping databases link the ship’s owners to ‘Ray Kar Carriers’, which was founded by Abraham ‘Rami’ Unger, known as one of Israel’s richest men.

Ungar told The Associated Press that he was aware of the incident but could not comment as he waited for details. Satellite data from a shipping traffic website analyzed by AP showed that Galaxy Leader was traveling in the Red Sea southwest of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, until a few hours ago.