Yemen's islamists Houthis conduct assault landing on cargo ship Galaxy Leader in Red Sea.

According to a video published on Telegram on November 21, 2023, Yemeni Houthi islamists, supported by Iran, hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, releasing footage of the incident.
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Houthis Mil Mi-17 helicopter landing on cargo ship Galaxy Leader. (Picture source: Houthis movement)

The video shows a daring raid with a Soviet build Mil Mi-17 helicopter landing on the ship, adorned with Yemeni and Palestinian flags, and armed fighters disembarking with guns, indicating an escalation in regional tensions​​. The cargo ship, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, was traveling from Turkey to India​​.

Context

The Houthis are a Shiite Islamist movement. Since 2011, following the global movement of Arab revolutions, the movement has engaged in armed guerrilla warfare against the Yemeni government. The movement has links with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hezbollah and various Iraqi Shiite militias.

Since the outbreak of the 2023 Israel–Hamas conflict, the Houthi movement has escalated its militant activities. The organization has launched several attacks targeting Israel, using missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)​​.

From October 19 to November 9, 2023, the Houthis carried out six attacks aimed at Israel. The first of these attacks, on October 19, saw the U.S. Navy warship USS Carney shoot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones launched by the Houthis​​. Subsequently, on October 27, two drones were fired from the southern Red Sea, with one drone falling short and hitting a building in Egypt, and the other shot down near an electricity plant​​.

Our comments

In our view, this incident is in line with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy's harassment of civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a source of instability for world maritime trade. This raises legitimate questions about the recent diplomatic rapprochement between Iran and certain countries in the region.