Israeli official: Bab al-Mandab is forcing us to change trade routes

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS, Sept. 16 (YPA) – The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Israeli Occupation Ports Company, Hezi Halavia, announced that the control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait by Sana’a forces is pushing Israel to search for strategic alternatives and land bridges.

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Halavia as saying that the port of Eilat experienced the most severe crisis in its history in late 2023, with its revenues declining from 240 million shekels annually to almost zero.

The newspaper quoted port officials as saying: “We can’t sleep at night. We are worried, and it is possible that even limited activities today will not be possible.”

He emphasized that more than 98% of the occupation’s trade depends on the sea, and that any disturbance in the Red Sea raises the cost of living and raw material prices, which necessitates urgently connecting Eilat to the railway network.