A Yemeni group seized a cargo ship in the Red Sea, believing it to be Israeli.

The Yemeni Houthi group Ansar Allah has seized the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabian TV channel Al Hadath reports . The rebels had previously promised that they would attack any ships owned or operated by Israeli companies.

A representative of the group, in a conversation with RIA Novosti, confirmed the seizure of a commercial vessel, which may belong to the Israelis. The journalists' interlocutor said that Galaxy Leader was delivered to areas controlled by the group in Hodeidah province in western Yemen. According to him, the ship's crew of 22 people is now being interrogated.

The Israel Defense Forces press service called the Houthi hijacking of a ship in the Red Sea “a very serious incident at a global level.” The IDF report said Galaxy Leader is not an Israeli ship. The ship was traveling from Turkey to India, with an international crew on board, including no Israeli citizens, the military noted.

The ship, which sailed under the flag of the Bahamas, is registered to the British company Ray Shipping, one of the co-owners of which is Israeli businessman Rami Unger, writes The Times of Israel. At the time of the seizure, the ship was leased to a Japanese company.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office blamed the incident on Iran, saying the ship was seized by Houthi militias in Yemen "on an Iranian whim." According to Israeli authorities, there were citizens of Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Philippines and Mexico on board the ship.

• The Houthi group Ansar Allah has effectively ruled Yemen since 2015, while the UN does not recognize the legitimacy of their rule. It is believed that the Houthi regime is supported by Iran and Hezbollah, which take the side of Palestinian terrorists in the Hamas war against Israel.