Houthi rebels from Yemen seized what they referred to as an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea. The group then warned that all vessels connected to Israel “will become a legitimate target for armed forces.” The Houthi rebels released a video showing what they say is the attack and seizure of the vessel.
Houthi forces said they 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,” said Yahya Sare’e, a spokesperson for the group in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The released video showed masked, armed men exiting a helicopter onto the deck of the ship while it was still moving. The video showed crew members with their arms up being threatened at gunpoint. Palestinian and Yemeni flags were raised onboard. The authenticity of the video has not been verified.
Israel said the vessel, the Galaxy Leader, is 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 said on X (formerly Twitter): “the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence.”