An Israeli ship with Bulgarians on board was hijacked by the Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, quoted by the media.
Earlier on Sunday, Sabereen News reported that the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement, which rules in northern Yemen, may have captured the Galaxy Leader, an Israel-linked ship with 22 crew members, in the Gulf of Aden.
The Israeli military said the ship seized by the Houthis near Yemen was not Israeli and had no Israelis on board. "The capture of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very serious incident with global consequences. This is a ship that left Turkey and headed for India with a civilian crew of various nationalities, no Israelis. This is not an Israeli ship," the army said on its Telegram channel.
It is a cargo ship leased by a British company to a Japanese company.
Among the crew on board a ship there are different nationalities - Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos and Mexicans, but not Israelis.
The military representative of the Houthi armed forces, Yahya Sariya, through their controlled Al-Masirah TV channel, promised to make a statement on this issue in the near future. Earlier on Sunday, the Houthis warned that they would attack any ships in Yemeni territorial waters if they were flying the Israeli flag or owned by Israeli companies or individuals, in response to Israeli military action in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Yahya Sarea called on all countries to withdraw their nationals who work on such vessels. This means that they will attack ships not only sailing under Israeli ships, but also carrying cargo owned by Israelis or even partially owned by Israelis, the publication added.
Earlier, the Houthis launched several rocket attacks on the southern Israeli city of Eilat. /BGNES
