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Yemen rebels who hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo vessel successful nan Red Sea were backed, supported and perchance trained by Iranian authorities, according to a U.S. official.
New photos of nan helicopter-borne Houthi onslaught connected nan Galaxy Leader, a cargo alloy linked to Israeli billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ungar, shows "all nan signs" that Iran was down nan operation, an American defense charismatic told The Associated Press connected information of anonymity.
"This has each nan signs these group were trained by a master military, which could intelligibly beryllium Iran," nan defense charismatic said. "This looks for illustration thing we haven’t seen before."
On Sunday, the Yemen rebel group seized nan ship arsenic it was walking from Turkey to India. The rebels, carrying rifles and dressed successful commando-style bulletproof vests, covered each different and moved successful subject statement earlier they quickly seized power of nan span of nan Galaxy Leader. The Israel Defense Forces described nan hijacking arsenic "a very sedate incident of world consequence."
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This photograph released by nan Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding nan cargo vessel Galaxy Leader connected Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized nan vessel successful nan Red Sea disconnected nan seashore of Yemen aft threatening to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
The hijacking connected 1 of nan world’s cardinal shipping routes comes arsenic nan Israel-Hamas warfare continues into its 2nd month. The warfare started erstwhile Hamas, whose main sponsor is Iran, carried retired nan deadliest panic onslaught connected Israeli ungraded connected Oct. 7 — sidesplitting 1,200 civilians. Yemen's Houthis person threatened to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies.
Immediately aft the hijacking, Israel suspected Iran was down nan operation.
This photograph released by nan Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding nan cargo vessel Galaxy Leader connected Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized nan vessel successful nan Red Sea disconnected nan seashore of Yemen aft threatening to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s agency said it "strongly condemns nan Iranian onslaught against an world vessel."
"The ship, which is owned by a British institution and is operated by a Japanese firm, was hijacked pinch Iran guidance by nan Yemenite Houthi militia," Netanyahu's agency continued. "Onboard nan alloy are 25 unit members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican. No Israelis are onboard. This is different enactment of Iranian coercion and constitutes a leap guardant successful Iran's aggression against nan citizens of nan free world, pinch world consequences regarding nan information of nan world shipping lanes."
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Others are besides suspecting Iranian involvement.
This photograph released by nan Houthi Media Center shows a Houthi forces chopper approaching nan cargo vessel Galaxy Leader connected Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized nan vessel successful nan Red Sea disconnected nan seashore of Yemen aft threatening to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
RANE, a consequence intelligence firm, said nan Houthis displayed strategies reminiscent of those utilized by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard erstwhile seizing vessels successful nan past.
Ambrey, a backstage intelligence firm, likewise said nan rebel group had a "sophistication" and referred to nan cognition arsenic an "Iranian-style alloy seizure" that "provides nan Houthis pinch a speech lever" successful overmuch nan aforesaid measurement Hamas' taking of immoderate 240 hostages successful their Oct. 7 onslaught connected Israel did.
"The incident displayed a important summation successful nan Houthis' capacity to disrupt merchant shipping," Ambrey said. "In nan past, nan Houthis had only utilized oversea mines, missiles and remote-controlled improvised explosive devices successful nan Red Sea."
It added, "The sophistication of nan cognition suggests that Iranian engagement is highly likely."
This photograph released by nan Houthi Media Center shows a Houthi forces chopper approaching nan cargo vessel Galaxy Leader connected Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized nan vessel successful nan Red Sea disconnected nan seashore of Yemen aft threatening to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
Iran has denied immoderate engagement pinch nan attacks. It besides antecedently denied Hamas’ penetration of Israel.
"Those accusations are void, and a consequence of nan analyzable business nan Zionist authorities is struggling with," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said Monday. "We person said galore times that guidance groups successful nan region correspond their ain countries and people, and they make decisions based connected nan interests of their ain countries and nations."
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Other Iranian-backed groups, including nan Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Syria fighters, person besides engaged successful cross-border occurrence for weeks pinch Israel.
The Houthi rebel group has displayed limb sophistication that could propose different subject capabilities.
The Houthis flew a Soviet-era MiG-29 combatant pitchy complete nan capital, Sanaa, during a military parade this year, on pinch a Northrop F-5 Tiger combat craft astatine another. A Houthi parade besides saw Soviet-era Mil Mi-17 helicopters flying done nan entity — nan aforesaid chopper utilized successful Sunday's attack.
This photograph released by nan Houthi Media Center shows Houthi escorting nan cargo vessel Galaxy Leader connected Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized nan vessel successful nan Red Sea disconnected nan seashore of Yemen aft threatening to prehend each vessels owned by Israeli companies. (Houthi Media Center via AP)
The Houthis besides person changeable down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone during nan Israel-Hamas warfare pinch a surface-to-air missile, and person fired drones and missiles toward Israel.
The Israeli-Hamas unit now expanding into nan Red Sea, which stretches from Egypt's Suez Canal down to nan Bab el-Mandeb Strait separating East Africa from nan Arabian Peninsula, increases concerns of a wider conflict.
"Significant Houthi interference pinch commercialized shipping done nan Strait is almost definite to trigger U.S. involution owed to nan governmental and perchance economical implications," nan New York-based Soufan Center warned.
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The U.S. has sent much vessels into and done nan Red Sea, including USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its onslaught group, successful an effort to deter specified an outbreak.
The Galaxy Leader is Japanese-operated and Bahamian-flagged.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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