JERUSALEM - Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a vital Red Sea shipping route, taking over two dozen crew members hostage and adding to fears that regional tensions escalated by the Israel-Hamas war are now being played out on a new maritime front.

The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the hijacking, stating that they had taken control of the ship due to its connection to Israel and had detained the crew members as hostages. They warned that they would continue targeting ships in international waters that were associated with or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has assigned blame for the attack on the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. Although the 25 crew members comprised various nationalities, including Bulgarian, Filipino, Mexican, and Ukrainian, no Israelis were on board.

Netanyahu's office condemned the seizure as an "Iranian act of terror," while the Israeli military referred to the hijacking as a "very grave incident of global consequence."

Israeli officials have asserted that the ship in question is British-owned and Japanese-operated. Nevertheless, information available in public shipping databases indicate that the ship's owners are associated with Ray Car Carriers, founded by Israeli billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ungar.

Ungar, when contacted, stated that he was aware of the incident but could not provide further comments until more details were available. It is worth noting that another vessel linked to him experienced an explosion in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year, which Israeli media attributed to Iran at the time.

The international shipping industry is known for its intricate network of management companies, flags, and owners spanning across various regions.

Two U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have confirmed that Houthi rebels had captured the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on Sunday afternoon. The rebels reportedly descended upon the cargo ship by repelling down from a helicopter, which aligns with the details first reported by NBC News.

In recent weeks, U.S. warships have intercepted missiles and drones from Yemen that posed a potential threat to Israel or American vessels. Last month, the USS Carney intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and multiple drones launched by Houthi forces toward the northern Red Sea. Another U.S. destroyer, the USS Thomas Hudner, successfully shot down a drone originating from Yemen as it approached the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

Satellite tracking data analyzed by the AP revealed that the Galaxy Leader, which had its Automatic Identification System tracker switched off, was traveling in the Red Sea southwest of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, over a day ago. The ship had departed from Korfez, Turkey, and was en route to Pipavav, India, at the time of the Israeli-reported seizure.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations identified the hijacking as having taken place approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Hodeida, Yemen, near Eritrea's coast.

The Red Sea, spanning from Egypt's Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is a crucial trade route for global shipping and energy supplies. Consequently, the U.S. Navy has maintained a presence in the area since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.

Since 2019, there have been multiple incidents of ships coming under attack at sea as Iran disregards the limitations of its nuclear deal with world powers. The ongoing Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza has raised concerns about the potential escalation of military operations into a broader regional conflict.

Repeated threats from the Houthi rebels to target Israeli vessels in the waters off Yemen have further exacerbated tensions in the region.