The Israel Defense Forces said today that the hijacking of a ship in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen was a "very serious incident at the global level" and that "Iranian terrorism" was directly responsible.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement in response to the hijacking of a British ship operated by a Japanese company in the Red Sea, blaming Iran for the incident, The Times of Israel reports.
The statement said there were 25 crew members from Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Philippines and Mexico on board, but there were no Israelis on board.
"This is another act of Iranian terrorism that expresses a step forward in Iranian aggression against the citizens of the free world and creates international implications when it comes to the security of global shipping routes," the statement added.
The ship is said to have sailed from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew.
The Houthis say they have seized an Israeli ship in the Red Sea
Yemen's Houthis said they seized an Israeli ship in the southern Red Sea and took it to a Yemeni port, reports Reuters.
"We are treating the ship's crew in accordance with Islamic principles and values," the group's military spokesman said in a statement.
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