Company “Israel Ports”: Eilat port closure represents an achievement by the Houthis that no enemy of Israel has achieved before

The Israeli economic newspaper “Calcalist” reported that Eilat Port is at risk of closing next week because of a severe financial crisis caused by its inactivity, which is a result of Yemeni threats.

Translation – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

According to the Hebrew newspaper, the municipality of Eilat seized the accounts of the port operated by the “Pipo” shipping company due to its failure to pay property taxes, in a clear indication of the significant losses incurred due to the disruption of Israeli navigation in the Red Sea amidst the Yemeni operations supporting Gaza.

“Calcalist” cited sources in the Israel Ports company stating that the crisis could lead to the nationalization of port facilities. It also mentioned the desperate attempts by the port management to salvage the situation through an emergency plan that involves the state paying $400,000 out of the $800,000 cost for each ship to pass through the Suez Canal, instead of the Bab Al-Mandeb route controlled by Sana’a.

The newspaper confirmed that the port’s revenues decreased by 80% in 2024, and the promised government compensation (15 million shekels) has not yet been received. It also quoted the port management warning that “the closure of a strategic maritime port would represent an achievement by the Houthis that no enemy of Israel has achieved before.”

Eilat Port has been inactive since November 2023 due to Yemeni missile threats, as reported by the Hebrew newspaper.

The leader of the Houthi movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, spoke today in his weekly address, stating that “the sinking operation of the two ships belonging to two companies violating the Yemeni ban on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea has led to the re-closure of Umm Al-Rashrash Port after an attempt to operate it again.”