Amreli: A cargo ship en route to Pipavav Port in Gujarat has been hijacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, according to reports.

The vessel, named ‘Galaxy Leader,’ had approximately 25 crew members representing various nationalities. Although the Houthis claimed it was an Israeli ship, Israel, including the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, denied the allegation, asserting that no Israelis were aboard.

The ship was seized while on its way from Korfez, Turkey, to Pipavav in Gujarat, India, where it was transporting vehicles.

The office of Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X (formerly Twitter), ‘Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel. The ship, owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iranian guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia.’

‘Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino, and Mexican. No Israelis are onboard,’ the tweet further said.

This is another act of Iranian terrorism and 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.

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 19, 2023

The Israeli Defence Forces, communicating through X (formerly Twitter), confirmed the hijacking and emphasized the global significance of the incident. The ship, which departed from Turkey, was manned by civilians of diverse nationalities, excluding Israelis. Israel condemned the incident as an Iranian-guided attack by the Yemenite Houthi militia against an international vessel. The vessel, owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, was reportedly taken to the Yemeni coast.

The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence.
The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship.

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 19, 2023

‘We took an Israeli cargo ship to the Yemeni coast,’ stated a Houthi official, as reported by AFP. According to a maritime source in the city of Hodeida, the ship has been directed to the port city of Salif.” DeshGujarat