Yemeni threat poses very serious strategic threat to 'Israel': Media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
10 Dec 2023 06:52
6 Shares

Israeli media say "Israel" is framing the Yemeni threats in the Red and Arabian Seas as detrimental to global trade and shipping routes.

A picture taken during an organized tour by the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement on November 22, 2023, shows the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by the Yemeni Navy, docked in a port on the Red Sea in the Yemeni province of Hodeida, with Palestinian and Yemeni flags installed on it. (AFP)

Israeli media outlets commented Saturday on Yemen's recent decision to prohibit any ship from reaching Israeli ports via the Arabian and Red seas if Gaza's needs for food and medicine are not met.

Tamir Hayman, the former head of the Israeli occupation's military intelligence division, said that the Yemeni threat is a problem for "Israel's national security" and poses a very serious strategic threat to "Israel's maritime freedom," pointing out that Yemeni threats would impact Israelis in terms of higher living costs.

In a related context, the military commentator for the Israeli Channel 12, Nir Dvori, mentioned that "Israel" is attempting to convey a message to the United States that the Yemeni threats are not just "Israel's" problem but a global issue, requiring not only Israeli intervention but global attention.

Dvori emphasized that "Israel" is framing the Yemeni threats as detrimental to global trade and shipping routes, stressing the importance of addressing this matter globally rather than "Israel" tackling it alone.

On his part, Chen Herzog, the Chief Economist at BDO Consulting, warned that the Yemeni threat to maritime shipping to "Israel" could lead to a hefty economic price in living costs and supply chains, highlighting that "Israel's" annual import volume of goods amounts to around 400 billion shekels, with 70% arriving by sea.

Herzog explained that the Yemeni threat impacts "Israel" at three levels: firstly, an increase in insurance costs for maritime transport to "Israel" due to heightened risks. Secondly, the potential shift in shipping routes from the East to "Israel" may require vessels to circumnavigate Africa instead of passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. This would extend sailing time by 30 days, resulting in increased maritime shipping costs. The third level is manifested in foreign shipping companies entirely avoiding Israeli ports to mitigate risks or due to insurance company restrictions.

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Sunday 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 Yahya 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 the spokesperson 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.

Implementing previous warnings, the Yemeni Armed Forces captured last month the Israeli Galaxy Leader vessel in the Red Sea via a naval operation landing on its deck, before leading it to the sea off the coast of Hodeidah.

The army also successfully targeted two Israeli cargo ships earlier this month, using a drone and missiles, while forcing several shipping vessels to reroute or entirely change course away from the Red Sea, subsequently increasing delivery periods, costs, and insurance rates.