Israel says ship hijacked by Yemen’s Houthis in Red Sea not Israeli

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Yemen’s Houthis had seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea as it was sailing from Turkey to India, calling this “a very grave incident on a global level.”

“The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship,” the Israeli military said in a social media post.

Reports earlier said that an Israeli ship named “Galaxy Leader” had been hijacked by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea. The ship had 22 people on board, according to reports.

Earlier on Sunday, Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for the Iran-backed Houthis, said that the group would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag, according to the group’s Telegram channel.

Sarea called on all countries to withdraw their citizens working on the crews of any such ships.

On Tuesday, the leader of the Houthis had warned that his forces would make further attacks on Israel and that they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

“Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al-Mandab, and near Yemeni regional waters,” Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a broadcast speech.

The Houthis have made several missile and drone attacks against Israel this month, highlighting the risk of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas spreading into the wider Middle East.

The Houthis, who have been at war against an Arab-led coalition since 2015, have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

The group controls northern Yemen and its Red Sea coasts.

Developing.