First it was just the Somalian pirates. For some years now, there have been Yemeni pirates, too.
On Sunday, November 19th, Israel reported that Houthi rebels had seized a cargo ship owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese crew in the southern Red Sea. The rebels, backed by Iran, took control of the Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier, with 25 crew members of various nationalities but no Israelis. Israel labeled the incident as an “Iranian act of terrorism,” expressing concerns about potential repercussions for global maritime security. The Houthi rebels, aligned with Tehran, have been conducting missile and drone attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas, announcing earlier this month their intention to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. They also hinted at the possibility of targeting ships connected to Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag.
The U.S. Defense official acknowledged awareness of the situation and close monitoring. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned the incident as an “Iranian act of terror,” while the Israeli military described it as a “very grave incident of global consequence.
