Israel has bombed a British-owned ship captured by the Yemen based-Houthis as part of a wave of air strikes against the Yemen-based terror group.
The ship, Galaxy Leader, was hijacked in November 2023 by terrorists rappelling from a helicopter in a commando-style raid that caught the world’s attention.
The cargo vessel, registered in the Bahamas, is owned by a British company which is partly owned by the Israeli businessman Rami Ungar.
Its seizure became a symbol of the terror group’s aggression in the Red Sea, and they have reportedly fitted radar to it, making it a floating observation platform.
The crew was released in January 2024.
Yemeni members of the Houthis carry a sign of the hijacked Galaxy Leader at a rally supporting Palestinians in February 2024 – Mohammed Hamoud
According to the IDF, the Israeli attack on Sunday night involved approximately 50 missiles and bombs.
They said the attack, the first on Yemen in nearly a month, was in response to repeated Houthi attacks on Israel.
The strikes hit the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Qantib power plant on the coast.
Hours later, Israel said two missiles were launched from Yemen. Attempts were made to intercept them, though the results were still under review.
The Iran-aligned Houthi forces said they had fired missiles and drones at multiple targets in Israel in retaliation for the strikes on Yemen.
The Houthis have continued to fire ballistic missiles at Israel since the ceasefire with Iran.
However, these are nearly always fired singularly, meaning Israel’s air defence systems are usually able to shoot them down.
The Galaxy Leader anchored off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, shortly after it was seized – KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS
Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have fired at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting global trade, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Most of the dozens of missiles and drones fired toward Israel have been intercepted or fallen short. Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory strikes.
Israel said its attacks on Monday also targeted a ship, the Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis in late 2023 and held in Ras Isa port.
The military said: “The Houthi terrorist regime’s forces installed a radar system on the ship, and are using it to track vessels in international maritime space in order to promote the Houthi terrorist regime’s activities.”
The Houthi military spokesperson said the group’s air defences had responded to the Israeli attack with “a large number of domestically produced surface-to-air missiles”.
