Israel says Yemen’s Houthi rebels hijacked an Israeli-linked ship. The Houthis haven’t commented

By ISABEL DEBRE and JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel says Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel movement in Yemen that threatened earlier Sunday to target Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said 25 crew members of various nationalities but no Israelis had been on board the hijacked Bahamas-flagged vehicle carrier. Netanyahu’s office condemned the seizure of the Galaxy Leader as an “Iranian act of terror.” The Israeli military called the hijacking a “very grave incident of global consequence.” The incident raises fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war are playing out on a maritime front.