Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they have seized what they called an Israeli cargo ship in the Red Sea, and warned that all vessels linked to Israel “will become a legitimate target for armed forces”.

The footage showed masked armed men jumping on to the ship from a helicopter while the vessel was still moving, and holding crew members at gunpoint.

Israel said the vessel was a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship and described the incident as an “Iranian act of terrorism” with consequences for international maritime security.

Israel’s military, writing on X, said “the hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence”.

Japan’s Nippon Yusen, also known as NYK, said the company had set up a taskforce to gather more information, including on the safety of the 25 crew, who were from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Mexico.

“This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation in Iran’s belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with concomitant international ramifications vis-a-vis the security of global shipping routes,” his office said.

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