On Sunday afternoon, November 19, 2023, information appeared about the seizure of a ship, presumably Israeli, by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden.
According to Sabereen News, the ship was seized by representatives of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) ruling in North Yemen.
The publication wrote that we are talking about the Galaxy Leader cargo ship with 22 crew members. The Houthis suspected him of belonging to Israel.
IDF reaction
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to this information.
According to MIA Rossiya Segodnya, the military says that the ship seized near Yemen is not Israeli, and there are no Israeli citizens among its crew.
The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very serious incident with global consequences, the IDF warns.
According to the Israeli army, a ship en route from Turkey to India got into trouble.
The crew members, the IDF says, are exclusively civilians from different countries, and none are Israeli citizens.
This is not an Israeli ship, this is how the Israeli army commented on the information about the seizure of the ship.
Houthi statements
The military representative of the Houthi armed forces, Yahya Saria, said that a statement about the seized ship would be made soon.
Earlier, also on November 19, the Houthis announced that in Yemen’s territorial waters they would attack any ships flying the Israeli flag or ships owned by Israeli companies or individuals.
Thus, according to the statement, they intend to respond to Tel Aviv’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.
By the way, before this, the Houthis launched missile attacks on the Israeli city of Eilat several times.
