By moofushi @Adobe Stock

Costas Paris of The Wall Street Journal tells his readers that an Iran-backed group took Galaxy Leader’s 25 crew members hostage in the Red Sea over the weekend. He writes:

Iran-backed Yemeni rebels said they hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship with 25 crew members in the Red Sea over the weekend, heightening tensions in the Gaza conflict.

The Houthis, a rebel group that controls Yemen’s north, said on X, formerly Twitter, that they are taking the vessel to the Yemeni coast and would continue to target vessels linked to Israel because of its attacks on Gaza.

Middle East brokers identified the ship as the Bahamas-flagged car carrier Galaxy Leader, which is owned by Ray Car Carriers. The company is registered in the Isle of Man and one of its owners is Israeli businessman Abraham “Rami” Ungar. […]

The ship’s Japanese operator, NYK Line, said the vessel had no cargo at the time of the hijacking. Its crew members are from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, NYK said. Japan on Monday condemned the hijacking.

Read more here.