The conflict between Hamas and Israel extends to the Red Sea. On Sunday, an Israeli businessman’s cargo ship was hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in this strategic sea between northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This diversion, carried out by the Houthis with the support of Iran, is in retaliation for Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The cargo ship, which carries cars, is operated by Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK Line. Because of this, Japan announced through its Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa that it had turned to the Houthi rebels to free the ship. According to him, “Japan is communicating with Israel, and in addition to direct contacts with the Houthis, we call on Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran and other relevant countries to insist that the Houthis quickly release the ship and crew members.”
For its part, the Japanese company said it had formed a special team responsible for collecting information and ensuring the safety of the 25 crew members on board.
“Legitimate goals”
The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, “will continue to conduct military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression against Gaza and the heinous crimes against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank “stop,” a Houthi warned. Military spokesman Yahya Saree on X (formerly Twitter).
A threat that the Houthis’ deputy chief of staff, General Ali Al-Moshki, repeated to Al-Massirah television on Monday: “Israeli ships are legitimate targets for us, wherever they are.”
The Israeli army said in a message on its X account on Sunday that “the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis was a very serious incident with global consequences.”
Netanyahu’s office “strongly condemned the Iranian attack on an international vessel” and said the boat was “hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi militia under the instructions of Iran.”
Iran denied the allegations on Monday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said that “the resistance groups in the region represent their country, that they made their decisions and acted based on the interests of their country.”