In a recent incident in the Gulf of Aden, an Israel-linked cargo ship faced an attempted hijacking by armed individuals. The Pentagon has stated that initial indications point towards the attackers being Somali pirates rather than Houthi fighters from Yemen. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder mentioned that although they are still assessing the situation, evidence suggests that the attackers are Somali. He described the incident as "clearly a piracy-related incident." The US Navy intervened and successfully thwarted the hijacking after the arrival of the warship Mason.

The cargo ship, Central Park, is managed by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, an international ship management firm based in London and owned by Israel's Ofer family. This attempted hijacking comes amidst increased activities by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have carried out a series of ship raids in the region. The group has also been involved in hostility with Israel, conducting missile and drone attacks that have targeted the country. These attacks have largely been unsuccessful, but the Houthis have managed to seize commercial ships in the Red Sea that they believe have ties to Israel. In response to one such seizure earlier this month, the US announced that it was contemplating redesignating the Houthis as a "terrorist organization."

The Houthis are backed by Iran and have gained significant control over parts of northern Yemen, emerging as a formidable force in the region after waging a prolonged war against the Yemeni government and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Pentagon has also reported that ballistic missiles were fired towards US ships from Houthi-controlled territory shortly after the attempted hijacking of the cargo ship Central Park. However, the missiles fell into the ocean about 19km away from the vessels and did not cause any injuries.

While Yemen's government in Aden pointed fingers at the Houthis for the attack, the group did not acknowledge responsibility for either the missile launch or the attempted hijacking. In a separate news article, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state through Sweden's Transport Agency due to striking postal workers halting the delivery of license plates for new Tesla vehicles in the country. The workers are demanding that Tesla sign a collective bargaining agreement, a common practice for most employees in Sweden.

Tesla, however, has taken a non-unionized stance globally. Tesla argues that the agency's refusal to provide license plates constitutes an unlawful discriminatory attack specifically directed at the company. The lawsuit demands that the agency be fined 1 million kronor ($95,383) and be obligated by the district court to allow Tesla to retrieve the license plates within three days. The Swedish Transport Agency denies blocking the distribution of license plates and explains that the issue will be decided in court.

The lawsuit asserts that the agency has a constitutional obligation to provide license plates and claims that withholding the plates from Tesla can only be described as a unique attack on a company operating in Sweden. The trade union ST, representing postal and delivery service workers, states that they are blocking the delivery of mail and packages to Tesla in adherence to Swedish labor market rules. This incident is part of a larger labor dispute, with various unions expressing solidarity with demands for a collective bargaining agreement.