Yemen’s Houthi rebels hijack an Israeli-linked ship in the Red Sea and take 25 crew members hostage

By ISABEL DEBRE and JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route and taken the 25-member crew hostage. The rebels said they hijacked the ship Sunday over its connection to Israel. The group warned it would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the crew members came from a range of countries but that no Israelis had been on board the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader. The Israeli military called the hijacking a “very grave incident of global consequence.”