Announcement of the Closure of Israeli Port of Eilat

The Israeli port of Eilat, located in the city of Eilat at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, is a crucial strategic gateway for commercial shipments to and from Israel via the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. It plays a pivotal role in facilitating the direct movement of goods between Israel and both Europe and Asia through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. This strait, in conjunction with the Gulf of Aden, serves as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. A significant portion of oil and gas exports from the Arabian Gulf passes through the Suez Canal or the Sumed pipeline, traversing both the Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz. The importance of the Bab al-Mandab Strait is further amplified as a vital southern gateway to the Red Sea, holding substantial geographical, political, economic, military, and security significance in today's global system, particularly for Israel.

Therefore, the precise and complex security, military, commercial, economic, and political calculations at both international and regional levels concerning all matters related to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, are not solely based on the multidimensional strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab as a vital conduit for international maritime navigation or its role as a crucial artery connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with the Indian Ocean and linking Asia with Africa. They are also grounded in a living historical experience where the Bab al-Mandab Strait was used as a decisive factor in a geopolitically significant battle during the Egyptian-Israeli war, which culminated in Egypt's historic victory over Israel in 1973. The Bab al-Mandab Strait was completely closed from October 6, 1973, to November 1 of the same year, blocking maritime vessels headed to Israel via the Red Sea. At that time, Israel used to export approximately 18 million tons of oil from Iran alone, transported through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea to the strategic port of Eilat in southern Israel.

The longstanding Israeli and Western apprehensions of nearly half a century regarding any potential recurrence of the October 6, 1973 experience—using the Bab al-Mandab Strait in potential regional conflicts—are grounded in the vital importance of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea for the global community, in general, and Israel, in particular, economically, militarily, and geopolitically. Over the ten years of conflict in Yemen, the Bab al-Mandab was not a secondary or incidental issue for many international, regional, and local actors directly or indirectly involved in the conflict. Rather, it was a primary factor consistently shaping the direction and trajectories of the conflict. The international and regional actors deliberately crafted precise and complex borders on the conflict map in Taiz Governorate, given its geographical and administrative boundaries that overlook one of the most important international waterways, represented by the Bab al-Mandab Strait and its geographical domain on the Red Sea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu articulated these concerns explicitly during a military parade for Israeli naval officers in Haifa on Wednesday, August 2, 2018. He issued direct threats against Iran, pledging a military confrontation involving all branches of Israel's military if Iran attempted to block the Bab al-Mandab Strait through its allies. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in the Middle East, announced from the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama on Thursday, November 7, 2019, the launch of a U.S.-led naval coalition to protect navigation in the Arabian Gulf region. The mission, named "Sentinel," covers the waters of the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Malloy stated that the coalition's goal was "to work together for a coordinated international maritime response" to attacks against ships. He emphasized that "our objective is purely defensive, and the operational setup is based on addressing threats rather than posing a threat," adding that "there are no offensive plans for our efforts, except for committing to defend each other if attacked."

Since November 19, 2023, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group has turned these Israeli-American security, military, economic, and political concerns into reality. From their extensive control areas in Yemen, they launched a series of military attacks targeting maritime vessels headed to and from Israeli ports via the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. These attacks were a response to the extensive and horrific Israeli crimes committed in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, following more than a month of the devastating Israeli war on Gaza and worsening humanitarian conditions. They were also a result of the international community's failure to fulfill its responsibilities in stopping the genocide and other war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians. The Israeli war on Gaza was preceded by a large-scale attack launched by Palestinian factions on the Gaza Envelop (Israeli Settlements) on October 7, 2023. The Houthi group stated that stopping their attacks in the Red Sea depended on halting Israeli military operations and resuming the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Amid Israeli, American, and Western efforts to contain the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and prevent its expansion to a broader regional scale to protect Israel during its military operations and severe actions against the Palestinians, U.S. and British forces, within the framework of the so-called "Guardian of Prosperity" international naval coalition, launched a series of military strikes in Yemen starting on the evening of Thursday, January 11, 2024. These strikes were aimed at countering Houthi attacks on maritime vessels traveling to and from Israel through the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. However, the coalition's operations failed for nearly eight months to halt or significantly reduce Houthi attacks or their impact on Israel. The operations also did not succeed in securing the passage of ships to Israeli ports through these critical waterways. As a result, thousands of ships were compelled to reroute around South Africa via the Cape of Good Hope, leading to extended voyages and increased financial and economic burdens on the ships and their owning companies, along with rising shipping and insurance costs.

Despite numerous Israeli and American statements downplaying the impact of Ansar Allah (Houthi) group attacks on Israel, these attacks led to a significant disruption in commercial traffic to and from the Israeli port of Eilat via the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea. According to Gideon Golber, the port's CEO, in a statement to Reuters on December 21, 2023, port activity decreased by 85% in the first three months of the attacks. He warned, "Unfortunately, if it continues, we will reach a situation of zero ships in Eilat Port." By July 16, 2024, after nearly eight months of sustained Houthi attacks, Golber announced in a press statement to Reuters that the port's operations had entirely ceased, resulting in its complete closure. This closure was attributed to the Israeli government's failure to meet the port administration's financial assistance demands, which arose due to the port's significant loss of income since the onset of the attacks by the Yemeni group aligned with Iran and Hamas. Golber stated, "The port is completely closed, and there has been no activity at the port for eight months due to the failure of the U.S./UK-led coalition to stop the Houthi attacks in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea; we have had no income during the past months, and it is time for the government to put its hand in its pocket and understand that it must help the closed port." He emphasized that " It must be acknowledged that the port is in a state of bankruptcy, and only one ship has come here in recent months. The Yemenis have effectively shut off access to the port." According to The Middle East Monitor (MEMO), a senior Israeli official confirmed that "The Israeli port of Eilat has officially declared bankruptcy because of a sharp decline in commercial activities and revenues due to the naval blockade imposed by Yemen’s Houthis on Israeli-linked cargo ships since last November," amid increasing financial and economic burdens faced by the Israeli government due to the ongoing war in Gaza, along with numerous internal, regional, and international political, military, security, and social challenges confronting the Israeli far-right government.