Israel has accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of hijacking an international cargo ship in the Red Sea which was en route to India from Turkey. The ship identified as Galaxy Leader, which transports cars, was going to India and Israel blamed Iran, calling it a terrorist action. They say it's a big problem worldwide.
The helicopter had a Palestinian flag behind it
The helicopter on which the Houthi rebels arrived on the ship had a Palestinian flag on it. A video of the incident is doing rounds on social media and it can be seen in the video that the militants landed on the ship using a chopper which had a Palestinian flag behind it.
No Israelis were on the ship
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu's office, said a ship owned by the British but from Japan got caught by Iran's friends, the Houthi rebels. No Israelis were on the ship. Netanyahu's office called it a terrorist act by Iran, affecting the safety of global ship routes. They see it as Iran acting against the free world.
Houthi rebels claim it's an Israeli ship
The Houthi rebels from Yemen say they took a ship, but they claim it's an Israeli ship. They took it from the Red Sea to a port in Yemen. A spokesman for the rebels said they're treating the crew according to Islamic rules. The rebels used a helicopter and fighters to hijack the ship.
Houthi rebels took control of the Galaxy Leadership ship using a helicopter
Israel says around 25 crew members from Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Philippines, and Mexico were on the ship. Two US defense officials confirmed that Houthi rebels took control of the Galaxy Leadership ship using a helicopter.
They plan to target ships from Israel
The rebels also said they plan to target ships from Israel or carrying the Israeli flag. They threatened people from other countries working on these ships to quit their jobs.
