Breaking: Israeli ship captured by Houthi rebels from Yemen, according to Saudi reports
According to a report on Al Arabiya news site, based in Saudi Arabia, Houthi rebels from Yemen captured an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing in the Red Sea. There were reportedly 22 crew members on board the "Galaxy Leader," which was allegedly transporting cars from Turkey to India.
According to an Israeli source, there were apparently no Israelis on board the ship at the moment of capture.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the seizure of the ship represents a "significant escalation in Iran's aggression against the citizens of the free world."
Earlier on Sunday, Yahya Sarea, a spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthis, released a video threatening to hijack Israeli-flagged or Israeli-owned ships sailing in the Red Sea.
The Houthi rebels claimed that several ships were already in their sights.
Since the beginning of the war last month, the Houthis have fired several missiles toward Israel's southern city of Eilat. The missiles were intercepted by the Arrow system, by U.S. warships and even once by Saudi Arabia.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.