Members of the Houthi Rebels have some how acquired a helicopter and conducted an aerial VBSS to capture an Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea where they have taken 25 crew-members hostage.

I am not going to lie to you. The title above is not one that I thought would ever be written on Funker530. For reference, the Houthi Rebels are a rag tag group of extremist fighters based out of Yemen who have been fighting an insurgency against their own government and Saudi forces for the better part of a decade now. In our company group chat, we refer to them as The Sand People because they're frequently seen moving single file and often operating with rifles and equipment that look like something out of a Star Wars fan convention where the theme was set to Tatooine.

Here we are though, the same Houthi Rebels who fight most frequently in dust colored and covered overalls are conducting a large scale maritime VBSS operation to capture a ship that has loose ties to Israel, and when I say loose ties I really mean loose ties. The ship is partially owned by an Israeli, but is rented to a Japanese shipping line. Its crewmembers are from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, and Japan has been attempting to negotiate with the Houthis for the release of their crew members since the capture was announced.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com