Yemeni threat should not be underestimated: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media + Bloomberg
13 Jul 2024 00:04
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While Israel Hayom highlighted the impact of Yemeni military actions in the Red Sea, Bloomberg reported that severe weather around the Cape of Good Hope has led to significant shipping disruptions.

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The MSC Kalina shipping container is moored at Maersk APM Terminals Pacific at the Port of Los Angeles, on November 30, 2021. (AP)

Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom warned against underestimating the Yemeni threat, noting its global implications and stressing that Americans and Europeans are unable to confront it. The newspaper highlighted that the US and Europe are fighting "on behalf of Israel" to address strategic issues, emphasizing that while the conflict with the Yemeni Armed Forces is distant, "it represents one of the most intense theaters of confrontation."

Israeli security researcher Yoel Guzansky, from the "Institute for National Security Studies," cautioned that "the Yemeni threat should not be underestimated" and went as far as warning of a potential comprehensive war with Yemen. Guzansky expressed concern about the capabilities of the Yemenis, stating that they "know how to produce missiles, drones, and explosive boats."

He noted that Yemenis are working to damage the Israeli occupation's interests at sea and cause damage to the Israeli settlement of Umm al-Rashrash [Eilat].

Moreover, the Israeli analyst warned that "Israel does not know how to confront Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and the Gaza Strip all at once."

This comes as Yemeni Armed Forces continue their military operations against ships linked to the Israeli occupation in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean, despite the ongoing US-UK aggression against Yemen.

However, instead of deterrence, the Yemeni forces, in response to these Western aggressions, are targeting American and British ships and conducting joint operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against Israeli targets and vessels.

Concerns are growing about the escalating threats from Yemen as military operations supporting the Resistance in the Gaza Strip continue across various fronts, amid the deteriorating capabilities of the Israeli occupation forces.

Weather impact on shipping

While Israel Hayom discussed the global impact of Yemeni military operations in the Red Sea, Bloomberg reported that ships navigating around the Cape of Good Hope are facing severe weather conditions. Many vessels have been forced to take this route instead of passing through the Red Sea due to the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, especially after Yemen linked its operations in Bab al-Mandab to the continued Israeli occupation's genocide in the Gaza Strip.

According to Bloomberg, adverse weather has caused one ship to run aground and another to lose over 40 containers at sea. Storms near the African coast are causing significant disruptions to the main shipping routes.

The effects are evident in the data on ship arrivals at the Cape of Good Hope, Africa’s southern tip. Earlier this week, only 18 deep-sea cargo vessels arrived, the lowest number for a single day since at least October, according to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a unit of the world’s largest shipbroker, as cited by Bloomberg. Vessel tracking data revealed that some ships halted their journeys to wait out the adverse weather, while others took longer routes around the African coast.