The Yemen rebel group of Houthis seized an Israel-linked ship bound for India on Sunday (November 19), raising fears of another dimension being added to the ongoing Gaza conflict. Houthi fighters descended on the ship from helicopters and took all 25 crew members hostage. The crew is being treated “in accordance with Islamic values”, the rebels have said. Israel has claimed the ship is British-owned and Japanese-operated while terming the hijack “another Iranian act of terrorism”. Why have the Houthis seized the ship headed to India? How have various stakeholders reacted to this? Who are the Houthis, and how are they linked to the Israel-Hamas war? Watch- Why was the ship hijacked? The ship, Galaxy Leader, was heading from Turkey towards Pipavav in Gujarat, and had no cargo on board. Its crew members are from Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Mexico, and the Philippines. The hijacking is in line with the Houthis' earlier statement, where they had said they would attack Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea and the crucial Bab al-Mandeb, a narrow strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, if Israel continued its bloodshed in Palestine. “Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al-Mandab, and near Yemeni regional waters," the leader of the group, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, said in a broadcast speech last week, as reported by Reuters. After the hijacking, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, said in an online statement that the Israelis only understand “the language of force,” reported AP. “The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in waging the sea battle, regardless of its costs.This is the beginning,” he added. How has Israel reacted, and why is Japan involved? Israel has said it does not own or operate the ship, nor is any crew member from Israel. “This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation in Iran's belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with concomitant international ramifications vis-a-vis the security of global shipping routes,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The Israeli military called the hijacking a “very grave incident of global consequence”, reported AP. However, the ship does appear to have links to an Israeli billionaire. According to AP, “ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.” In 2021, there had been an explosion on a ship linked to Ungar in the Gulf of Oman. Israeli media had blamed it on Iran then. The Galaxy Leader was operated by the Japanese firm Nippon Yusen. Japanese officials have condemned the hijack, and said they are negotiating with the Houthis while also seeking help from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran for the release of the ship and the crew. Who are the Houthis, and why are they involved at all? The Houthis are a rebel group locked in a civil war with the Yemen government for almost a decade. They are in power in northern Yemen, including the official capital Sanaa. The official government now operates out of Aden. The group is named after the Houthi tribe. The Houthis are Zaydi Shias backed by Iran, while the Yemen government has the support of Iran's biggest rival Saudi Arabia and the West. The group's origins lie in a Zaydi religious revival movement of the early 1990s. Houthis' support for “brothers and sisters in Palestine” stems from a staunch opposition to Israel and the West. As a fighting force, they are significant, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones, according to Reuters. While the Houthi stronghold in Yemen is too far from Israel for their rockets and fighters to pose a direct threat, they have been firing missiles towards the “enemy country”. The main danger from the Houthis' activity is that their involvement can widen the conflict, potentially drawing in Iran. Also, if Israel wants to attack Houthi territory in retaliation, its rockets will have to go over Saudi Arabia, possibly forcing the powerful Muslim country to wade into the conflict. Seizing of vessels in the sea can also involve many other countries with stakes in the maritime trade in the region.
