Yemen: Houthi Seizure of Galaxy Leader Is Iranian Terrorism by Proxy

A grab from footage released by Yemen's Huoutj Media Center on November 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the militias during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. (Houthi media/AFP)
A grab from footage released by Yemen's Huoutj Media Center on November 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the militias during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. (Houthi media/AFP)
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Yemen: Houthi Seizure of Galaxy Leader Is Iranian Terrorism by Proxy

A grab from footage released by Yemen's Huoutj Media Center on November 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the militias during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. (Houthi media/AFP)
A grab from footage released by Yemen's Huoutj Media Center on November 19, 2023, reportedly shows members of the militias during the capture of an Israel-linked cargo vessel at an undefined location in the Red Sea. (Houthi media/AFP)

The Delegation of the European Union in Yemen condemned on Tuesday the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ seizure of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Sunday.

In a statement, it expressed its "strong condemnation of the seizure by the Houthis of the Galaxy Leader in the southern Red Sea."

"Threats to international navigation and maritime security are unacceptable," it added, calling for the immediate release of the ship and its crew.

EU citizens are among the crew, it noted.

The Houthis, who have been sending drones and long-range missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, seized the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Sunday in the southern Red Sea, describing it as Israeli-owned.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby described on Tuesday the Houthis' seizure as a "flagrant violation of international law" in which "Iran is complicit."

The Bahamas-flagged car carrier is chartered by Japan's Nippon Yusen. It is owned by a firm registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.

Iran has denied involvement in the seizure of the ship, which the car carrier's owner on Monday said was taken to the Houthi-controlled southern Yemen port of Hodeidah.

The legitimate Yemeni government condemned the incident, saying it was "Iranian terrorism by proxy".

In an official statement on Tuesday, it expressed its "complete rejection of marine piracy in Yemen’s regional waters that is carried out by the Houthis with the full support of the Iranian regime."

The incident "poses a serious threat to marine navigation and international peace and security," it added.

Moreover, it warned that the "Houthis’ terrorist acts by proxy will only deepen the humanitarian crisis endured by the Yemeni people and compound economic burdens."

It warned that such Houthi attacks will "serve the interests of foreign powers, including transforming the regional waters into an arena for conflict," adding that it would also serve Israel’s expansionist ambitions and embolden armed groups in the region.

The government stressed that the Houthi attacks are a "natural result of the international community’s failure in deterring these militias that have for years carried out dozens of attacks at sea against cargo vessels, oil installations, national interests and civilian areas in neighboring countries."

It called on the countries that overlook the Red Sea to act immediately to confront "Iranian meddling with the security of the region and the freedom of international navigation in one of the world’s most important trade routes."



Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 17 in Gaza as Ground Troops Enter Palestinian Territory’s North

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 17 in Gaza as Ground Troops Enter Palestinian Territory’s North

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory  on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip shows a smoke plume rising above destroyed buildings in the southern part of the Palestinian territory on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in the Gaza Strip early Friday, as Israel sent more ground troops into the Palestinian territory to ramp up its offensive against Hamas.

At least 17 people, some from the same family, were killed after an airstrike hit the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital staff. Hours later, people were still searching through the rubble, looking for survivors.

The attack came a day after Israeli strikes killed at least 100 Palestinians. Hundreds more have died in the past two weeks, as Israel has intensified operations, intended to pressure Hamas to release remaining hostages it took during its attack on Israel in October 2023. On Friday, Israel said it had begun ground activity in northern Gaza, in order to expand its security zone.

Israel’s military had issued sweeping evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza before expected ground operations. The UN humanitarian office said around 280,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Israel ended the ceasefire with Hamas last month.

In recent days, Israel has vowed to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor across it.

To pressure Hamas, Israel has imposed a monthlong blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle — a tactic that rights groups say is a war crime. Israel said earlier this week that enough food had entered Gaza during a six-week truce to sustain the territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians for a long time.

Hamas says it will only release the remaining 59 hostages — 24 of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli pullout from Gaza. The group has rejected demands that it lay down its arms or leave the territory.

The predawn strike on Friday hit a three-story building. In addition to the dead, the attack wounded at least 16 people from the same family. Associated Press reporters saw bodies being carried out in blankets, while others searched for people trapped under the rubble and collected charred remains.

“We don’t know how to collect them and how to bury them. We don’t know whose remains these are. They were burned and dismembered,” said Ismail Al-Aqqad, whose brother died in the strike, as well as his brother’s family.

On Thursday, more than 30 bodies, including women and children, were taken to hospitals in and around Khan Younis, according to hospital staff.

Israel said Friday that it had killed a top Hamas commander in a strike in Lebanon’s coastal city of Sidon. Israel said that Hassan Farhat was a commander of Hamas’ western area in Lebanon and that he was responsible for numerous attacks against Israel, including one in February 2024, which killed an Israeli soldier and injured others.

In Israel’s renewed offensive, troops have expanded the buffer zone, retaking the eastern section of the Netzarim corridor and partially disconnecting northern and southern Gaza.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, known as ACLED, reported there were over 300 airstrike events during 10 days at the end of March — nearly 10 times the number in February.

The war began when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements and other deals. Israel rescued eight living hostages and has recovered dozens of bodies.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as part of Israel's offensive, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say whether those killed are civilians or combatants. The ministry says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

The war has left most of Gaza in ruins, and at its height displaced around 90% of the population.