Yemeni Threats Disrupt About 85% Of ‘Eilat’ Port Profits

By Staff, Agencies

The Director General of the Port of ‘Israeli’-occupied ‘Eilat’, Gideon Golber, confirmed, according to Sputnik reports which cited ‘Israeli’ Channel 13, that Yemen's threat to ‘Israeli’-bound ships had "disrupted 80% to 85% of the port’s profits."

In this context, Channel 13 further mentioned in a report that “the volume of imports coming from the East to ‘Israel’ is estimated at around 95 billion dollars annually.”

The channel added, "Changing the maritime navigation route will raise the prices of imported products by an estimated 3%, which would increase the financial burden on the ‘Israelis’ by about 3 billion dollars."

Moreover, the ‘Israeli’ Army Radio quoted Golber as saying that the Yemeni threat to the Red Sea maritime routes "led to the loss of the port by about 14,000 cars from the middle of last month until today.”

The port director further explained that "‘Israel’ fears that the closure of Bab al-Mandib to the movement of merchant vessels to ‘Israel’ through the Red Sea to the port of ‘Eilat’ or through the Suez Canal would prolong the travel of cargo vessels from the East to ‘Israel’ about five weeks, as cargo vessels would have to circumvent the African continent at Cape of Good Hope through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Mediterranean."

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Saturday the introduction of a new actionable decision in support of Gaza, which will see the prohibition of all ships bound to the occupation entity, regardless of their nationality, from passing through the Arabian and Red Seas until food and medicine sufficient to the needs of the population enter the besieged Strip.

In a statement, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yehya Saree declared that this prohibition is "effective immediately," noting that Sanaa, "out of its commitment to the safety of maritime navigation, warns all ships and companies against dealing with ‘Israeli’ ports."

"The Yemeni Armed Forces emphasize their full commitment to the continuity of global trade movement through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea for all ships and all countries, except those ships associated with ‘Israel’ or those that will transport goods" to the occupation entity.

It is worth noting that Saree did not void the earlier equation, which constitutes that the Yemeni Army will continue targeting ‘Israeli’ ships in the Red Sea until the war on Gaza stops.

Commenting on the announcement, ‘Israeli’ media confirmed that Sanaa's announcement preventing any ship from reaching ‘Israeli’ ports is considered "an escalation up a notch and a very serious event," calling it a significant issue for the entire world. This entails a recognition of the size of the impact this announcement may cause.

Sanaa has consistently affirmed its dedication to international law and maritime navigation. It emphasizes being a partner in ensuring compliance with these principles, underscoring that its operations solely impact ships associated with the occupation.