Yemen captures Israeli ship, adds to Israelis' piling crises: Sanaa

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
19 Nov 2023 21:40

Yemen's military spokesperson says the operation was in support of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree making a statement in Sanaa, on 14 September 2019 (AFP)

The official spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced on Sunday that the Yemeni Naval Forces carried out a military operation in the Red Sea, resulting in the seizing of an Israeli ship.

In a video statement, General Sarea confirmed that the ship named Galaxy Leader was led to the Yemeni coast, emphasizing that this operation comes in support of Palestine's West Bank and Gaza.

"The operations of the armed forces threaten only the ships of the Israeli entity and those owned by Israelis."

The Yemeni operation came less than 8 hours after Saree released a warning that Sunday the group intended to target any ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or bearing the Israeli flag.

In the statement, Saree stressed that the crew of the Israeli ship would be treated in accordance with the teachings of Islam, renewing the warning "to all ships belonging to the Israeli enemy and those dealing with it that they will become a legitimate target for us.'

"We urge countries whose nationals work in the Red Sea to stay away from any activity with Israeli ships or those owned by Israelis."

The Yemeni military will continue operations against the Israeli occupation until the aggression on the Gaza Strip stops, he concluded.

The statement came shortly after reliable sources told Al Mayadeen that "the Yemeni Navy successfully detained an Israeli ship in the depths of the Red Sea," adding that 52 people were aboard the seized vessel, who are currently being investigated. The source noted that the nationalities of the crew are still being verified by Yemeni relevant authorities.

Threatened and carried out

Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson for the Israeli occupation army described the Yemeni operation in the southern Red Sea as "a very serious event."

Simultaneously, Israeli media said, "The Houthis continue to challenge Israel and have taken control of an Israeli ship," confirming that "the ship belongs to the Israeli businessman Rami Unger, was carrying cars, and was making its way from a port in southern Turkey to a port in western India."

"The Houthis threatened and then carried out their threat," added the media outlets, warning that 'the Houthis' control of the ship poses a problem to Israeli trade that is difficult to confront, affecting the security of cargo shipping, which will increase in cost, so Israel considers this that it is a global problem."