Kapal Israel yang Disita Houthi Jadi Tujuan Wisata Baru Warga Yaman
Kapal kargo Galaxy Leader disita Houthi dan kini jadi tujuan wisata baru warga Yaman. Foto/AP
SANAA - Zaid Hussein (45) telah berkendara sejauh 230 km dari rumahnya di Sanaa ke wilayah pelabuhan Hodeidah di Yaman.
Dia tiba dari ibu kota yang sibuk ke al-Salif, desa pesisir kecil di teluk, salah satu titik paling barat Yaman.
Hussein tidak berada di sana untuk menikmati suara ombak yang menghantam pantai, atau ketenangan pantai, betapa pun indahnya.
Dia, bersama warga Yaman dari seluruh negeri, berada di al-Salif untuk mengunjungi Galaxy Leader, kapal yang disita pasukan Houthi Yaman pada 19 November di Laut Merah di lepas pantai Hodeidah. Dua puluh lima awak kapal telah ditahan di kapal sejak itu.
Kelompok Houthi menggambarkan penyitaan tersebut, dan serangan berikutnya yang menargetkan kapal-kapal yang dikatakan terkait Israel, sebagai tindakan perlawanan untuk mendukung warga Palestina di Gaza yang dibombardir Israel.
Israel menyebut penyitaan kapal tersebut sebagai “tindakan terorisme”, sementara Amerika Serikat dan sembilan sekutunya telah meluncurkan satuan tugas angkatan laut untuk mengatasi serangan Houthi.
Namun di Yaman, al-Salif ramai dengan turis lokal lainnya yang ingin naik ke kapal kargo yang disita tersebut.
Hussein dan sembilan orang lainnya duduk di perahu kecil, menunggu untuk diangkut ke kapal yang lebih besar.
“Mari kita melihat kapal Israel dan bangga dengan pencapaian angkatan bersenjata kita,” ujar dia kepada Middle East Eye.
Israeli Ship Confiscated by Houthis Becomes New Tourist Destination for Yemenis
The cargo ship Galaxy Leader was confiscated by the Houthis and has now become a new tourist destination for Yemenis. Photo/AP
SANAA - Zaid Hussein (45) had driven 230 km from his home in Sanaa to the Hodeidah port area in Yemen.
He arrived from the busy capital to al-Salif, a small coastal village on the bay, one of Yemen's westernmost points.
Hussein wasn't there to enjoy the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, or the serenity of the beach, however beautiful it was.
He, along with Yemenis from across the country, were in al-Salif to visit the Galaxy Leader, a ship seized by Yemeni Houthi forces on November 19 in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Twenty-five crew members have been detained on the ship since then.
The Houthi group described the seizure, and subsequent attacks targeting ships it said were linked to Israel, as an act of resistance to support Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli bombardment.
Israel called the seizure of the ship an “act of terrorism”, while the United States and nine of its allies have launched a naval task force to counter the Houthi attack.
But in Yemen, al-Salif was busy with other local tourists who wanted to board the confiscated cargo ship.
Hussein and nine other people sat in a small boat, waiting to be transported to a larger ship.
“Let us look at the Israeli ships and be proud of the achievements of our armed forces,” he told Middle East Eye.