Exclusive: Israeli ship was targeted in Arabian Sea before truce

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
25 Nov 2023 10:14
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Al Mayadeen's sources confirm that the Israeli ship caught fire as a result of the attack.

Picture of the Israeli vessel getting escorted by Yemeni speedboats, Nov. 19, 2023 (AP through Ansarallah military media)

An Israeli ship was targeted in the Arabian Sea (north of the Indian Ocean) on Thursday night -- Friday dawn shortly before the temporary truce in Gaza came into effect, private sources told Al Mayadeen.

The sources confirmed that the ship was directly hit, and it caught fire as a result of the attack.

The party behind the operation has not been specified.

Commenting on Al Mayadeen's exclusive report, Roi Kayes, head of the Arab Affairs Department at the Israeli Kan channel, said no confirmation has been received from Israeli authorities about whether the incident took place or not or if "Israel" actually owns the ship.

However, while reporting on the news, he did add a detail to the event, not mentioned by the channel’s sources, which is that the ship was targeted by a suicide drone.

Later, AP cited a US official as saying that a container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a drone in the Indian Ocean.

The defense official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Malta-flagged vessel was suspected to have been targeted by a drone while in international waters.

The drone exploded, according to AP, causing damage to the ship without injuring any of its crew.

This comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the movement of ships in the waters and straits in light of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, mainly following threats by the Yemeni Armed Forces to target any ships owned or operated by Israeli companies.

As part of delivering on their word, the Yemeni Naval Forces managed to capture an Israeli ship last week in the depths of the Red Sea, Al Mayadeen reported exclusively based on input from informed sources.

Footage of the #Yemeni Armed Forces capturing the Israeli-owned ship, #GalaxyLeader, in the #RedSea yesterday. pic.twitter.com/AjKWido2OA
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 20, 2023

52 people aboard the Israeli ship, presumably a vehicle carrier, were detained, Al Mayadeen's sources added.

The ship named the Galaxy Leader was Bahamian-flagged but owned by an Israeli businessman.

"It seems that the ship captured by the Yemenis is owned by Israeli businessman Rami Ungar," Israeli media then confirmed.

Here's everything you need to know about Abraham "Rami" Ulgar, the Israeli businessman who partially owns the company running the #GalaxyLeader that was seized by the #Yemeni Armed Forces today in the #RedSea.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/lFOa2FJaeC
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 19, 2023

The Yemeni Armed Forces used a helicopter and hovered with it over the Israeli ship before rappelling down to the deck and taking control of it, NBC News reported.