Terrifying video shows moment Iran-backed Houthi rebels stormed cargo ship part-owned by an Israeli tycoon after leaping from a helicopter in Red Sea hijacking
- The Bahaman-flagged Galaxy Leader is part-owned by tycoon Abraham Ungar
A terrifying video shows the moment Iran-backed Houthi rebels have stormed a cargo ship part-owned by an Israeli tycoon.
Footage filmed by the rebels shows them approaching the Bahaman-flagged ‘Galaxy Leader’ ship in the southern Red Sea via helicopter yesterday, with several heavily-armed fighters being dropped off on deck.
The cargo ship travelled south past the Arabian peninsula on its way to India. It is registered under a British company which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar and is currently leased out to a Japanese company, according to reports.
The Houthi rebels approached the bridge with their weapons drawn as crew members on the bridge can be seen holding up their hands in surrender. One of the fighters was filmed walking through the ship while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.
This comes as the ship’s owner, Isle of Man registered Galaxy Maritime Ltd, said that the vessel is now in the Hodeidah port in Yemen.
Footage filmed by the rebels shows them approaching the Bahaman-flagged ‘Galaxy Leader’ ship in the southern Red Sea via helicopter yesterday, with several heavily-armed fighters being dropped off on deck (pictured above)
The cargo ship (pictured) travelled south past the Arabian peninsula on its way to India . It is registered under a British company which is partially owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar and is currently leased out to a Japanese company, according to reports
The Houthi rebels approached the bridge with their guns drawn as crew members on the bridge can be seen holding up their hands in surrender. One of the fighters was filmed walking through the ship while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ (pictured above)
‘All communications were subsequently lost with the vessel. The company, as a shipping concern, will not be commenting further on the political or geopolitical situation,’ the company said in a statement.
The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader’s crew is made up of nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, Galaxy Maritime said. The vessel is chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen.
READ MORE: Cargo ship with 22 crew onboard and part-owned by an Israeli tycoon with ties to the former boss of Mossad is ‘hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ in the Red Sea – after the Iran-backed militia vowed to target Israeli-linked vessels
‘Owners and managers believe the seizure of this vessel represents a gross violation of freedom of passage for the world fleet and a serious threat to international trade,’ Galaxy Maritime said.
It added that the ‘key concern at this time is the safety and security of the 25 crew members currently being held by the perpetrators of this criminal act’.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have said there are no citizens from the Jewish state on board and the organisation denied the ship was Israeli, but called it a ‘grave incident’.
According to one rebel official and maritime source, the ship was seized by the revels and diverted to a Houthi-controlled coastal area in Yemen.
It came after the militia – which has fought a bloody civil war against the Yemeni government since the 1990s – vowed to attack ships in retaliation for Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks.
The rebel group released a chilling warning that it would strike ships this week – with a slick video presented by rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi complete with graphics of vessels burning and sinking after being struck by militia fighters.
Meanwhile two commercial ships that diverted their course in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were connected to the same maritime group whose vessel was seized by Yemen’s Houthis, according to shipping data and British maritime security company Ambrey.
A helicopter approached the Galaxy Leader and dropped off several Houthi fighters
The ship is registered under a British company partially-owned by Israeli tycoon Abraham Ungar (pictured), who is close to the former head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen (right)
According to the most recent publicly-available tracking data, the ship was last seen to the east of Port Sudan on Saturday
The cargo ship had 22 crew members onboard when the rebels took control of the vessel
The rebels approached the bridge with weapons drawn
Israel on Sunday said the Houthis had seized a British-owned, Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea, describing the incident as an ‘Iranian act of terrorism’ with consequences for international maritime security.
The Houthis, an ally of Tehran, confirmed that they had seized a ship in that area but described it as Israeli.
READ MORE: Israel’s Defense Force releases footage of huge ‘Hamas tunnel’
Japan’s top government spokesperson on Monday confirmed the capture of the Nippon Yusen-operated ship Galaxy Leader, adding that Japan was appealing to the Houthis while seeking the help of Saudi, Omani and Iranian authorities to work toward the swift release of the vessel and its crew.
Two other ships also listed as commercially managed by Ray Car Carriers, Glovis Star and Hermes Leader, diverted their sailing routes on Sunday, Ambrey said on Monday.
The Hermes Leader had set a course to sail south of Nishtun in Yemen when it diverted its journey.
‘The vessel continued to sail back to where it had come from, providing a new AIS destination as Hambantota, Sri Lanka,’ Ambrey said. ‘The vessel incurred a minimum four-day business disruption and sailed an additional 1,876 nautical miles.’
The Glovis Star drifted for a number of hours in the Red Sea before continuing its journey, AIS ship tracking data showed on Monday.
Israeli Defence Forces said the hijacking of the ship was a ‘very grave incident of global consequence’
The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader’s crew is made up of nationals from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, Galaxy Maritime said. The vessel is chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen
Houthi leadership last week said their forces would make further attacks on Israel and they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
US maritime administration MARAD in an advisory said the Galaxy Leader had been hijacked approximately 50 miles west of the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah, adding that ships should ‘exercise caution when transiting this area.’
‘We saw yesterday a new record – for the first time we saw [an] official announcement of pirates taking over a ship on the high seas, which I think is a major threat to international law and order,’ Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in comments on Monday, referring to the Galaxy Leader.
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