Iran rejects Israeli claims in Red Sea ship seizure by Yemen's Houthis

Iran has denied Israeli allegations regarding its involvement in the seizure of a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship by Yemen’s Houthis in the southern Red Sea. Nasser Kanaani, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, stated at a press conference on Monday that resistance groups in the region operate independently and that Israeli claims are an attempt to divert attention from what Kanaani referred to as Israel’s “irreparable defeat” against Hamas militants in Gaza. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a key Red Sea shipping route on Sunday, holding its 25 crew members hostage. The rebels asserted that the hijacking was in response to the ship’s connection to Israel, declaring their intent to target ships associated with or owned by Israelis in international waters until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers, according to Reuters. Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the Houthis, said that detaining the Israeli ship is a concrete step showcasing the Yemeni armed forces’ commitment to sea battles. He added that this marks just the beginning of their actions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office attributed the attack on the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier linked to an Israeli billionaire, to the Houthis. The ship’s Japanese operator, NYK Line, confirmed that it had no cargo at the time of the hijacking, and the crewmembers are from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Mexico. Japan condemned the hijacking, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated that the Japanese government is actively pursuing the early release of the crew through negotiations with Houthi rebels, while also engaging with Israel and collaborating with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Iran. With inputs from agencies