Israel announced on Sunday that Yemeni Houthis had seized a British cargo ship operated by a Japanese company, describing the incident as an “Iranian act of terrorism” with consequences for international maritime security.
The Houthis, a rebel group close to Tehran, attack Israel with long-range rockets and drones in solidarity with Hamas.
The leader of the Houthis announced last week that their forces will continue to attack Israel and that Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could become targets.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the unnamed ship had been hijacked, stressing that it was not owned or operated by Israel, and that there were no Israeli citizens on board.
The Houthis warned again on Sunday that they would target all ships linked to Israel. Jahja Sarea, their military spokesman, said on Twitter that it was a response to Israeli-American aggression and that it meant ships flying the Israeli flag or operated by Israeli companies.
Sarea called on countries not to allow their nationals to work on these ships, as well as to stop cooperating with them, N1 reports.
E.Dz.
