Yemen's Houthi rebels have 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 Houthis said over the weekend they would stop attacking transiting vessels as long as the cease-fire holds. But big-box ship operators said it would take some time before secu

MISANTLA, Mexico (AP) — Escorted by locals on bicycles and in cars that awaited his arrival outside his hometown in Mexico, Arturo Zacarías Meza returned home days after Houthi rebels in Yemen released him and his fellow crew members following more than a year in captivity.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized their

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamas-flagged vessel off the Yemeni Red Sea coast, Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday.

The United States and Japan called on Yemen's Iran-backed rebel group Houthis to cease its attacks in the Red Sea following the release of the detained MV Galaxy Leader crew on January 22.

The US branded the Houthi release of the Galaxy Leader crew as insufficient and demanded a permanent end to the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The State Department welcomed the release of the 25-strong crew from the 5,100-ceu car carrier (built 2002) but said that the ship remained “stolen property” of the rebel group.

The Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen had earlier said they would scale back attacks given the cease-fire in the conflict in Gaza.

The crew of the ship — which includes mariners from at least five countries — had been held captive by Houthis in Yemen since November 2023.

The 25 crew members — who include mariners from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine ... maritime assaults that have plagued the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for months.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they have released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their campaign in the Red Sea corridor. The rebels said they released the sailors after mediation by Oman.

Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie has told shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk there are signs of stability returning to the Red Sea, and urged the company to take that into account when planning sea routes,