Hijacking of the Galaxy Leader

At least ten armed Houthi hijackers used a military helicopter to board the vessel. After seizing the vessel, they brought it to Hodeidah. Onboard Galaxy Leader were 25 crew members, including 17 from the Philippines; other crew members came from Bulgaria (including the captain and first mate), Ukraine, Mexico, and Romania. The Houthis videorecorded their attack and released the footage the next day, using the attack as propaganda. The Iranian government denied involvement. == Aftermath ==

The hijacking of the Galaxy Leader, as well as a spate of Houthi drone and missile attacks on merchant shipping in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait passing into the Red Sea, threatened global shipping routes. This prompted the creation, in December 2023, of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multilateral operation of ten nations to protect shipping in the area. The effort, which is under the auspices of the Combined Task Force 153, is led by the United States Navy, with the participation of the Royal Navy, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain. Al-Haddad was later interviewed by streamer Hasan Piker. == International reactions ==

• United States — The U.S. government denounced the seizure of a cargo ship as a violation of international law and demanded the immediate release of the vessel and its crew. • United Nations — The Security Council condemned the Houthi seizure of the ship and demanded the immediate release of the vessel and its 25 crew members, who had been unlawfully detained for almost a year. • United Kingdom — "The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping in the region, including through our contribution to the International Maritime Security Construct and Combined Maritime Forces," said the UK Foreign Office. • Japan — Japan condemned the hijacking of the Japanese-operated, British-owned cargo ship. • Israel — The Israel Defense Forces called the hijacking a "very serious incident on the global scale." ==References==