The Houthis clearly acted in accord with the wishes of their patrons in Tehran, indicating an escalation of this conflict.
“Yemen’s Houthis say they seized Israeli vessel; Israel denies, blames Iran,” Al Arabiya English, November 19, 2023:
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia said on Sunday it had seized an Israeli ship in the Red Sea, a claim immediately denied by Israel.
The allegation came days after the group had threatened to target Israeli vessels in the Red Sea over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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“We took an Israeli cargo ship to the Yemeni coast,” an unidentified Houthi official said in a statement, adding that further details would be released later.
A Yemeni maritime source said the Houthis “seized a commercial vessel” and took it to the port of Salif in the coastal city of Hodeida which the rebels control, without specifying its nationality.
Israel’s military denied the ship was Israeli.
A statement by the army on X, formerly Twitter, said: “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence.”
“The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis.
“It is not an Israeli ship,” the Israeli army said in the statement.
A US defense official told Al Arabiya English: “We’re aware of the situation and are monitoring it, closely.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denied the ship was Israeli but denounced, in a statement, “the Iranian attack against an international vessel.”
“The ship, which is owned by a British company and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked with Iran guidance by the Yemenite Houthi militia,” it said.
“Onboard the vessel are 25 crew members of various nationalities including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican,” it added….
somehistory says
It has been reported in the news that houthis attacked and took control of a Japanese ship. Could it be that they are just too stupid to know the difference, or they just want to make the claim it was Israeli?
Jack Reynolds says
The Houthis are from Yemen a country with an Average IQ of 62.86.
.
The Houthis are incapable of tying their own shoe laces without close supervision by Iranians.
.
James Lincoln says
Yes, Jack.
People with IQs in the 60s “don’t know that they don’t know.”
KoshsShadow says
Piracy. The IRGC and now the Houthis should be considered pirates. All Iranian shipping should be subject to seizure as well – at least one ship per ship seized.
Any Iranians caught trying to seize a ship – hang them as pirates.
Trump had the right idea; label the Houthis terrorists. Biden reversed that. So, how well has that been working out?
࿗Infidel࿘ says
If it is a Turkish ship, I hope the Houthis destroy it. It’ll be amusing to see a split b/w Iran and Turkey, who are right now allies, both against Israel as well as Saudi Arabia
Beneath the Veil of Consciousness says
Inbreeding much? “Stupid is as stupid does.”
-Forrest Gump
Huapakechi says
Piracy is a tradition among moslem nations. The first war we fought after the American Revolution was against the piratical thugs of Tripoli. islam needs a lesson that the survivors will not forget.