Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.
The move by the Iranian-backed Houthis marks their latest effort to de-escalate their attacks following a ceasefire in Gaza. However, it came as U.S. President Donald Trump moved to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the group late in his first term that President Joe Biden had revoked, potentially setting the stage for new tensions with the rebels.
The Houthis said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that’s long been an interlocutor with the Houthis. A Royal Air Force of Oman jet took a flight to Yemen earlier Wednesday and took off again about an hour after the Houthi announcement with the crew, who smiled as they stepped off into freedom in Muscat.
The Houthis also said Hamas separately requested the release of the ship’s crew of 25, who included mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico.
“This step comes in support of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” the Houthis said in a statement on rebel-controlled SABA news agency.
World leaders react
In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed the release of 17 Filipino crew members, describing the moment as an “utmost joy.” The Filipinos, who were in the custody of the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman, would be flown home soon, Mr. Marcos said.
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the release of two Bulgarians identified by officials as the ship’s captain, Lyubomir Chanev, and assistant captain, Danail Veselinov. A government jet was on the way to Oman to bring the Bulgarians home, the ministry said.
Hans Grundberg, the United Nations’ special envoy to Yemen, called the crew’s release “heartwarming news that puts an end to the arbitrary detention and separation that they and their families endured for more than a year.”
“This is a step in the right direction, and I urge Ansar Allah to continue these positive steps on all fronts, including ending all maritime attacks,” he added, using another name for the Houthis.
Israel connection
The Houthis said they hijacked the Galaxy Leader over its connection to Israel. The attack launched the rebels’ campaign targeting ships in international waters in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects them.
A representative for the Galaxy Leader’s owners had no comment on Wednesday.
The Bahamas-flagged vessel is affiliated with an Israeli billionaire, Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one of the richest men in Israel.
The Houthi attack on the Galaxy Leader saw the rebels launch a helicopter-borne raid. Propaganda footage of the raid has been played constantly by the Houthis, who even shot a music video aboard the ship at one point.
On Monday, the Houthis signaled they now will limit their attacks in the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip, but warned wider assaults could resume if needed.
Crucial route
However, it likely won’t be enough to encourage global firms to reenter the route crucial for cargo and energy shipments moving between Asia and Europe. Their attacks have halved traffic through the region, cutting deeply into revenues for Egypt, which runs the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
The release of the vessel’s crew now may have been an effort to curry favour with the U.S., though the ship still remains moored off the Yemeni port city of Hodeida.
“This gesture by the Houthis may be intended as a goodwill measure towards the new Trump administration,” said Yemen expert Mohammed al-Basha, of the Basha Report risk advisory firm.
Terrorist designation
However, Trump signed an order urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reinstate a foreign terrorist organisation designation on the Houthis. Mr. Rubio separately called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, who have led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015.
“Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and thereby end their attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” the White House said.
Mr. Biden lifted the designation early in his term, citing the humanitarian threat that the sanctions posed to ordinary Yemenis and to back an de facto ceasefire that still broadly holds in Yemen’s war.
Published – January 23, 2025 01:58 pm IST
