Yemen: Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized what they called an Israeli cargo ship in the southern Red Sea. The rebel group further warned that all vessels linked to Israel “will become a legitimate target for armed forces.”
“Houthi forces would continue to carry out military operations against the Israeli enemy until the aggression against Gaza stops and the ugly crimes against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stop,” a spokesperson for the group, Mr. Yahya Saree, noted in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Israel said the vessel was a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship and described the incident as an “Iranian act of terrorism with consequences for international maritime security.”
Israel’s military posted on X that “the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence”.
The statement added that the ship had left Turkey headed for India and was “staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship”.
The move comes days after the rebel group threatened to target Israeli vessels in the waterway over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Japan’s top government spokesperson confirmed the capture of the Nippon Yusen-operated ship, Galaxy Leader, adding that Japan was contacting Saudi, Omani, and Iranian authorities to work toward the swift release of the vessel and its crew.
“We strongly condemn such acts,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference. “No Japanese nationals are among the crew,” Mr. Matsuno added.
A US military official commented that the seizure of the vessel “is a flagrant violation of international law”. “We demand the immediate release of the ship and its crew. We will consult with our allies and UN partners as to appropriate next steps,” the official added.
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