Ukrainians aboard vessel allegedly seized by Yemen's Houthis
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There are Ukrainian nationals among those aboard the shipping vessel hijacked in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Nov. 19, Israeli Prime Minister's Office said.
Israel's Defense Forces said the Bahaman-flagged ship, registered under a British company and leased out to a Japanese company, was sailing from Turkey to India with an international civilian crew before it was hijacked.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, the vessel was carrying 25 crew members of various nationalities, including Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino, and Mexican. There were reportedly no Israelis onboard.
"Israel strongly condemns the Iranian attack against an international vessel," the Israeli President's Office said.
"This is another act of Iranian terrorism and constitutes a leap forward in Iran's aggression against the citizens of the free world, with international consequences regarding the security of the global shipping lanes."
Yemen's Houthi rebels have threatened to attack Israeli ships on several occasions, and have previously used missiles and drones to target Israel since Hamas' attack on Oct. 7.
