Houthi rebels claim to have seized an Israeli ship, which the Jewish state denies

Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have seized an Israeli commercial ship in the Red Sea on Sunday (November 19) and diverted it to the Yemeni coast, according to a Houthi leader. “The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation in the Red Sea, the result of which was the seizure of an Israeli ship and its transfer to the Yemeni coast”declared the military spokesperson of the Houthis, Yahya Saree, on the social network X (formerly Twitter).

“The ship left Turkey bound for India, with civilians of various nationalities on board, but no Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship”assured the Israeli army.

In a statement from his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “strongly condemned the Iranian attack on an international ship”. “The ship, which is owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese company, was hijacked under Iranian direction by the Yemeni Houthi militia”according to the press release from the Prime Minister’s office.

“A new act of Iranian terrorism”, according to Israel

“On board the ship are 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino and Mexican. No Israelis are on board. This is a new act of Iranian terrorism and a step “Forward in Iran’s aggression against the citizens of the free world, with international consequences for the security of the world’s sea lanes.”continues the press release.

This hijacking of a ship comes against a backdrop of strong tensions between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Israel. The former threatened on Tuesday to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea, after claiming several attacks against Israel. The Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa, are “part of the axis of resistance” against Israel, which includes groups supported by Iran, such as Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.