Yemen’s Houthi rebels seize foreign cargo ship in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have reportedly hijacked a foreign cargo ship in the Red Sea. The vessel was seized and taken to a port in Yemen, according to the rebels. However, Israel has denied that the ship is Israeli and stated that no Israelis were among its crew. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the act as “another act of Iranian terrorism”. The Houthis have previously threatened to hijack Israeli ships in response to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel has launched a military operation aimed at eliminating Hamas, following a surprise attack on the south of the country. The death toll in Gaza has reached 12,300, with more than 2,000 feared to be buried under rubble. The Houthis have fired missiles and drones towards Israel, but the US claims that all of these have been intercepted by their warship in the Red Sea. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have described the seizure of the ship as a “very grave incident of global consequence”. While Israel denies any connection to the seized vessel, there are reports suggesting that it may have an Israeli owner. Israeli Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has accused resistance groups allied to Tehran of putting pressure on Israel and its supporters. The Houthis have been embroiled in a civil war with Yemen’s official government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, since 2014.