The ship was taken to the coast of Yemen after it was hijacked, and was turned into a showcase of the Houthis’ war against Israel and the West.
The Israeli Air Force targeted the Galaxy Leader cargo ship as part of strikes on Houthi-controlled targets across Yemen late on Sunday night.
The ship was seized by the Houthis in November of 2023, as the Yemeni group began its campaign targeting Red Sea vessels it claimed were linked to Israel, following Hamas’s October 7 massacre and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Following the capture of the vessel in 2023, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag.
The ship was taken to the coast of Yemen after it was hijacked, and was turned into a showcase of the Houthis’ war against Israel and the West.
However, the Bahamas-flagged cargo ship was not directly owned or operated by Israelis, but leased from a British company partly owned by Israeli national Rami Unger to a Japanese company. Two ships owned by Unger were previously attacked by Iran in the Gulf of Oman in 2021.
THE ‘CORDELIA MOON’ oil tanker bursts into flames after being hit in a Houthi missile attack off Yemen’s Hodeidah Port last October. (credit: Houthi Military Media/Reuters)
According to Lloyd’s List, the ship was “owned by UK-registered company Ray Car Carriers, which is in turn partly owned by two Israeli nationals, which was enough to make it a target.” The hull of the car carrier was worth $40 million, the report added.
On the day of its capture, the ship left a port in Turkey and headed for India. On board the ship were 25 crew members of different nationalities, including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans. No Israelis were onboard.
Meanwhile, the crew was not heard from for months after they had been kidnapped by the Houthis, and were only released in January of this year, some 14 months later, with the terror group allowing the captive crew to leave for Oman.
The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV noted at the time that the release was carried out “in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza” which had entered into effect at the time and would last until mid-March.
Houthis continue to use ship for terror purposes
In a statement released as the IDF struck in Yemen, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the Houthis continued to use Galaxy Leader for terror purposes.
The International Chamber of Shipping, which represents ship owners, has called the Houthi attacks “unacceptable acts of aggression which threaten the lives of innocent seafarers and the safety of merchant shipping.”
Seth J. Frantzman and Yuval Barnea contributed to this report.
