The conflict between Hamas and Israel has repercussions as far as the Red Sea. On Sunday, a cargo ship belonging to an Israeli businessman was captured by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in this strategic sea located between northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. This diversion carried out by the Houthis, supported by Iran, comes in retaliation for the war waged by Israel against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The cargo ship that carries cars is operated by Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK Line. This is why Japan, through its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoko Kamikawa, announced that it had approached the Houthi rebels to free the ship. According to him, Japan “communicates with Israel and, in addition to direct contacts with the Houthis, we urge Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran and other relevant countries to insist that the Houthis quickly free the ship and the crew members.
The Japanese company indicated for its part that it had formed a special team responsible for collecting information and ensuring the safety of the 25 crew members on board.
“Legitimate targets”
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen at war, “will continue to carry out 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,” warned Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree on X (formerly Twitter).
A threat reiterated Monday by the deputy chief of the general staff of the Houthis, General Ali Al-Moshki, to the Al-Massirah television channel: “Israeli ships are legitimate targets for us, wherever they are” .
The Israeli army said on Sunday that “the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis was a very serious incident that had global consequences,” in a message on its X account.
Mr. Netanyahu’s office “strongly condemned the Iranian attack on an international ship”, saying that the boat had been “hijacked under the direction of Iran by the Yemeni Houthi militia”.
Iran rejected the accusations on Monday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani saying that “the resistance groups in the region represented their country, that they made their decisions and acted on the basis of the interests of their country “.