Live from 'Eilat' port, Dimitri Lascaris details impact of Yemeni ops

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Dimitri Lascaris
20 Mar 2024 00:46
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Dimitri Lascaris' report on the Israeli occupation's port settlement of "Eilat" reveals the severe impact of the Yemeni Armed Forces' operations on the Israeli occupation's economy.

An aerial view of the "Eilat-Ashkelon" oil terminal at "Israel's" southern Red Sea port city of "Eilat', occupied Umm Rashrash, occupied Palestine, on February 9, 2021. (AFP)

Dimitri Lascaris, a Canadian lawyer and journalist, visited the Israeli occupation's port settlement of "Eilat" on March 17 through 18 and reported that the Yemeni operations conducted by the Yemeni Armed Forces have indeed left the port settlement devoid of any cargo ships.

"There are no cargo ships here, no tankers [visible]," said Lascaris.

According to Lascaris, "All indications" point to the fact that "the attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Ansar Allah movement continued to have dramatic impacts on this particular port facility."

The Canadian lawyer further underscored that the settlement is "far away from the major population centers of Israel," adding that "it's also not served by rail, at least not yet."

This means that the Red Sea blockade against the Israeli occupation and in defense of the Gaza Strip has actually choked the settlement, which had no way around due to the lack of rail routes.

Through "Eilat", "Israel" imports vehicles from Asia and delivers and temporarily stores oil cargo.

"There is almost no one on those beaches," Lascaris reported, adding that there is "no indication of any tourism here." Even kiosks and shops appear to be shut down, at this time of year, on a Sunday.

This is especially significant given that "Eilat" has been dubbed by Israeli media as a touristic destination.

"It certainly does seem quiet here."

My latest:

I just visited Israel’s Red Sea port to see how attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen’s Ansar Allah (supporters of God) had affected maritime traffic to and from Eilat, Israel.

Based on what I saw, Ansar Allah has had a devastating impact.https://t.co/937Me8KiV0…
— Dimitri Lascaris (@dimitrilascaris) March 19, 2024

Discussing the topic of the Israeli occupation's economy, the journalist said that in the first two months of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the economy has shrunk by 20%, adding that "it may well have shrunk further since then."

The journalist referred to a statement by the head of the port facility in December 2023, saying, "Maritime traffic in Eilat had plummeted by some 85% due to the attacks."

Lascaris, who chose to remain in "Eilat" overnight, also reported "no commercial shipping activity whatsoever in Israeli waters or at the Israeli port."

Concluding his report, Lascaris proclaimed, "If Israel and its backers are seriously interested in bringing an end to the severe damage to the Israeli economy, there's one simple, straightforward, and morally correct course of action to pursue in that regard, and that is to put a stop to the genocidal assault on Gaza and, frankly, the criminal assaults on the West Bank as well."

YAF hit US oil tanker, 'Eilat'

Earlier on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced that the YAF Navy targeted the American oil tanker MADO in the Red Sea using appropriate naval missiles.

"Our forces fired several winged missiles at Israeli targets in the Umm al-Rashrash region in southern occupied Palestine," he added.

He stressed that these operations come in support of the Palestinian people, who are still facing Israeli aggression and siege, and in response to the US and British aggression on Yemen.

Al-Houthi: Our ops. hit Indian Ocean, to be expanded to Cape Route

Meanwhile, the leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul al-Malik al-Houthi, declared on March 14 that the Yemeni Armed Forces are heading toward expanding the scope of their operations conducted against the Israeli occupation forces' war on the Gaza Strip.

Sayyed al-Houthi's announcement will reverberate across global politics, as he underlined that the YAF is heading toward launching attacks on vessels in the Indian Ocean that have been redirected toward the Cape of Good Hope Route, following attacks on merchant and military vessels affiliated with the tripartite Alliance of Evil of the United States, the United Kingdom, and "Israel".

Avoiding missile and drone attacks from the Yemeni Navy in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, ships heading toward Israeli-occupied ports have opted for the longer route of circling the African continent, paralyzing the Israeli-occupied port in Um al-Rashrash or "Eilat".

"Our Yemeni Armed Forces will carry on the Battle of the Promised Conquest and Holy Jihad in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza," the leader of the Ansar Allah emphasized on Thursday.

"Operations targeting Israeli-affiliated vessels and ships affiliated with the American and British sides are ongoing with high effectiveness," he revealed.