Yemen’s Houthis say they have seized control of an Israeli ship in the southern Red Sea, with Israel calling the incident an “Iranian act of terrorism” with implications for international maritime security.

A Houthi military spokesman confirmed to Al Jazeera on Sunday that Houthi fighters had captured the British-Japanese-operated cargo ship.

At least 22 people were on board the Galaxy Leader – reportedly partly owned by an Israeli businessman – which was en route from Turkey to India.

“We have received confirmation from a Houthi official that they have hijacked this ship. Earlier today [Sunday], they announced the start of operations to attack ships flying the Israeli flag. They warned international seafarers not to work for such companies,” Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al-Attab said in a report from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

“We are treating the occupation in accordance with Islamic norms and principles,” Yahya Saree, spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi military, said in a statement later on Sunday.

He renewed the warning that any ship belonging to Israel or its supporters will be a legitimate target for Houthi forces.

“We confirm our continued military operations against [Israel] until the aggression and ugly crimes against our Palestinian brothers in Gaza and the West Bank stop,” Saree said.

The Tehran-backed Houthis have fired several rockets and drones Attacks against Israel since the latest attack on the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7, which killed more than 12,300 Palestinians, including 5,000 children.

“The Houthis have carried out a series of attacks on Iranian targets. “We expect more attacks in the coming days,” al-Attab said.

The Israeli government called the kidnapping “a very serious event on a global scale.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel had no involvement in the ship’s ownership, operations or the composition of its international crew.

“This is another Iranian act of terrorism that represents an escalation of Iran’s belligerence against the citizens of the free world, with concurrent international implications for the security of global shipping lanes,” said a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“There were no Israelis on the ship,” it said, adding that the 25 crew members came from Ukraine, Mexico, the Philippines and Bulgaria, among others.

The Israeli military also denied that the ship was Israeli. A statement to X said: “The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very serious incident of global concern.”

“The ship left Turkey en route to India and was crewed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. “It is not an Israeli ship,” the Israeli army said.

A U.S. defense official said the U.S. was “aware of the situation and monitoring it closely.”

“As far as we know, the shipping company is partly owned by an Israeli businessman and this would not be the first time that one of his ships has been intercepted. In 2021, one of its ships was also targeted,” said Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Tehran, said Israel had provided no evidence that Iran was behind the hijacking.

“This is an accusation from the Israeli prime minister’s office for which there is no concrete evidence,” she said.

The war in Gaza has led to a rise in tensions in the region, with international organizations and political leaders warning of a possible conflict larger regional conflict.

“Iran has historically distanced itself from these various armed groups in the Middle East that are opposed to Israel,” Jabbari said.

“But given Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip and its so-called ‘genocide’ against the Palestinian population, Iranians say the conflict could expand.”