Sana'a – Saba:
The enemy Israeli entity’s announcement on Wednesday of the bankruptcy and closure of Umm Al-Rashrash (Eilat) Port did not come as a surprise. The port had already been nearly paralyzed since 2024, with commercial activity drastically declining.
Over the past year, it lost 80% of its revenue, leading to mass layoffs and rendering its operations negligible—until its debts mounted, prompting the announcement of a complete shutdown starting next week.
The Israeli declaration came after Yemen executed a military operation targeting Umm Al-Rashrash (Eilat) Port on Wednesday evening. This operation is part of an ongoing campaign against the port since Yemen began its supportive stance for Gaza, aiming to impose a blockade on the Zionist entity—a blockade that has become starkly evident in the crippling of this vital port.
For nearly a full year, the port’s operations had almost entirely halted, witnessing a sharp decline in shipping traffic and an 85% drop in commercial activity. These massive losses forced its administration to seek aid from the entity’s government to cover expenses and avoid permanent closure.
Before the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the port’s primary activities included car imports and fertilizer and mineral exports, alongside the "Eilat-Ashkelon" pipeline for crude oil transport from Eilat to the Mediterranean. All of this has now ceased, with the resulting losses representing severe blows inflicted by Yemen on the enemy’s economy.
The scale of the damage is evident in the port’s revenue figures: in 2024, it earned just 42 million shekels (approx. $12.52 million), down from 212 million shekels ($63.19 million) in 2023—an 80% drop. These numbers were reported by the Zionist Channel 12, which noted that "the Eilat municipality was forced to freeze the port’s accounts due to unpaid debts, leading to its closure starting Sunday." The debts, amounting to around 10 million shekels (approx. $3 million), stem from unpaid municipal taxes.
Middle East Online observed that Eilat Port—the entity’s only Red Sea outlet, once a symbol of its eastward expansion—has now become a silent witness to the Israeli government’s failures in countering threats. It added, "The halt of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb has forced ships bound for ‘Israel’ to reroute around Africa (via the Cape of Good Hope), adding 17 to 22 days to voyages, increasing shipping costs , goods prices, and causing delays in numerous trade deals."
Yemen’s missile and drone operations have stripped the port of both operational capacity and security—a fundamental requirement for any maritime activity.
What does shutting down this crucial economic gateway mean for the entity?
Undoubtedly, it marks a pivotal turn in the battle against the enemy—a battle led by the Yemeni Armed Forces since October 2023 through missile strikes and drone operations deep inside the entity. Umm Al-Rashrash Port has borne the brunt of these attacks in line with Yemen’s support for Gaza.
The entity has lost a Red Sea economic outlet, meaning its blockade tightens further, compounding the economic losses it has suffered since its aggression on Gaza began. This achievement is a historic milestone in the Arab-Israeli conflict, as Yemen has forced a major shift by paralyzing Umm Al-Rashrash Port as part of its blockade strategy.
The official shutdown announcement also serves as an Israeli admission that Yemen’s strikes have completely drained the port of operational viability, rendering it incapable of functioning.
This declaration reveals another truth: the Zionist entity’s inability to counter the persistent attacks on the port or Yemen’s Red Sea operations targeting ships and shipping lines bound for this and other occupied Palestinian ports. Thus, the Yemeni Armed Forces have achieved military superiority in this arena.
The enemy’s formal acknowledgment of the port’s closure confirms the effectiveness of Yemen’s supportive campaign for Gaza. Yemen’s operations were never without purpose; they were calculated from the outset, fully aware of their intended outcomes. The enemy’s announcement is merely a small indicator of Yemen’s broader successes—many of which the entity conceals.
From this, we affirm that Yemen’s support for Gaza is a powerful and impactful stance, rooted in strength. It stands as a bold testament to Yemeni will and action, with results that are undeniable and transformative.
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