Israeli official: Eilat port suffers economic losses estimated at 85% after Yemen attacks

PALESTINE, Dec. 21 (YPA) – The port of Umm Al-Rashrash, known as Eilat, has witnessed a decline in its activity by 85% since the beginning of the Yemeni military operations in the Red Sea, in reference to the economic loss of the occupation.

Director of the port of Eilat, south of occupied Palestine, Gideon Golber, told Reuters about the repercussions of the military operations of the Yemeni forces against ships in the Red Sea heading towards the occupation ports.

He indicated that the port of Eilat mainly deals with imports of cars and exports of potash coming from the Dead Sea.

“If Yemeni operations in the Red Sea continue, “we will reach a situation where there are no ships in the port, Golber added.

Reuters report touched on the importance of the port, which makes the decline in its activity a real Israeli loss, pointing out that the port is located next to Jordan’s only coastal access point in Aqaba, thus giving the Israeli entity “a gateway to the east without the need for navigation in the Suez Canal.”

The agency quoted Israeli officials as saying that the alternative route to the Red Sea takes shipping towards the southern tip of Africa, which increases the duration of trips across the Mediterranean by two to three weeks, which will add additional costs to shipping and goods.

The officials acknowledged that if the US-led Naval Coalition was late in “finding a solution” to the right-wing operations in the Red Sea, “Israel” would be forced to grant leave to port workers.

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