Middle East: The recent statement from the Yemeni Armed Forces regarding the execution of three military operations as part of the escalation phase against the Zionist enemy marks an official commencement of an intensive and highly impactful operations trajectory, as foreshadowed by the leader of the revolution in his speech last Thursday. 

 

This massive escalation is poised to create seismic effects that will primarily strike the already beleaguered economy of the Zionist enemy, which faces relentless weekly issues due to the war’s repercussions, including the cumulative impacts of previous phases of the Yemeni maritime blockade. Concurrently, the United States can only express concern, having shown, over the past months, a dismal failure in curbing the rising activity of the Yemeni front supporting Gaza.

New Maritime Fronts:

The Yemeni maritime war "opens a new front off the coasts of Israel and Gaza," as described by Newsweek magazine last Thursday.

This followed the announcement by the leader of the revolution, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, of an operation in the Mediterranean Sea. Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the armed forces, later clarified that the operation targeted the Israeli ship "ESSEX" with several maritime missiles. This brings the enemy face-to-face with the "concern" expressed by a senior defense official last week regarding Yemen's ability to reach the Mediterranean. 

The operation moves beyond mere concern to counting more losses, as the reach has become a reality, not just in terms of weapons but also in intelligence coverage. The ship "Essex," according to maritime tracking databases, is a liquefied gas carrier owned and operated by Zodiac Maritime, partially owned by Zionist businessman Eyal Ofer. This demonstrates that the Yemeni Armed Forces have highly accurate intelligence capabilities in the Mediterranean, similar to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The announcement that missiles were used in this operation is also surprising. Many American reports previously highlighted Yemen’s possession of drones capable of reaching the Mediterranean. However, launching ballistic missiles at maritime targets in the Mediterranean is something the United States, which consistently asserts Yemen as the first to launch ballistic missiles at ships in history, cannot downplay.

The "new front" in the Mediterranean, now a reality beyond a mere potential threat, stands out from the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean fronts (where operations continue steadfastly) as it represents the enemy's sole remaining route for receiving ships. After closing the Bab al-Mandeb route, Haifa and Ashdod ports are the only ones receiving all maritime imports via the Mediterranean. This implies several things:

Firstly, there is a high density of enemy-linked ships in this front, unlike the other fronts where such traffic has diminished in recent months. Based on the experience of other fronts, the dense Zionist maritime traffic in the Mediterranean will decrease due to security measures ships will inevitably take (from camouflage to refusing to reach enemy ports). Many companies have already decided to unload in Greece and forced the enemy to transport goods to its ports with other vessels.

Secondly, the dense Zionist maritime traffic via the Mediterranean means dense Yemeni operations, which the leader of the revolution clearly warned of in his last speech, indicating an increase in the frequency of strikes in the upcoming period. This will compel shipping companies to reduce their ship density, especially after the enemy and its American backers have utterly failed in protecting targeted ships from Yemeni attacks over the past months.

 

Even if some shipping companies decide to continue sailing to enemy ports, the shipping and insurance costs for this dangerous journey will outweigh the benefits for consumers in the occupied territories, with inflation being the most significant cargo.

Thus, the damage to the Zionist economy due to the Yemeni operations reaching the Mediterranean is only a matter of time. This damage is unbearable for the enemy, as it lacks another maritime route to redirect the remaining maritime traffic and bear the additional costs and delays.

Moreover, the recent statement from the Armed Forces has opened another front against the enemy, targeting shipping companies dealing with it and banning all their ships from passing through the region. 

The Yemeni Armed Forces targeted the "Yannis" ship in the Red Sea because the Greek company managing it sent three ships to the enemy at the beginning of the month. According to maritime tracking data, this company also owns the "Cyclades" ship, targeted by the Yemeni Armed Forces at the end of April after violating the maritime blockade and using camouflage to reach the port of Eilat.

This information indicates once again that the Yemeni armed forces have highly accurate intelligence on companies dealing with the Zionist enemy and their maritime fleets. 

Therefore, even if the enemy and its backers promise shipping companies protection for their vessels heading to "Israel" in the Mediterranean, they must also promise protection for the rest of their fleet, which will be subject to Yemeni sanctions in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean—a promise that cannot be fulfilled.

To clarify further, the Greek company "Eastern Mediterranean Maritime," whose ship "Yannis" was targeted, currently manages 75 other ships, according to maritime sites. If it continues to send ships to Palestinian ports, its entire fleet will be at risk of targeting. This imposes a clear choice for the shipping company: to either secure the limited profit from transporting a few shipments to the Zionist enemy each month or ensure the safety of its entire fleet.

The same applies to other companies, especially the larger ones with more ships. The Yemeni ban are not intended to harm the companies themselves (which can safeguard their interests by ceasing dealings with the enemy) but to enforce the blockade on the enemy and establish the critical fact that the genocide in Gaza is not just a minor crisis that can continue without extensive repercussions. Continuation of commercial dealings with the Zionist entity holds any involved party or company accountable for the continuation of this brutal genocide.

The Enemy's Economy Vulnerable to Yemeni Escalation

Last week, Hebrew press reports indicated that the giant transport company in the enemy's territory, "Tabura," experienced a 50% drop in revenue during April and March due to the disruption at the port of Umm al-Rashrash. The company used to transport cars arriving at the port from the East to various occupied territories. The last entry of a car ship into the port was in November, according to management.

At the same time, after several waves of price increases for various goods in the enemy's markets due to rising shipping costs and delays caused by the Yemeni blockade, the Israeli company "Osem," one of the largest food companies in the occupying entity, announced a new price increase of up to 6% on its products. This follows a previous increase of 9%, attributed to rising raw material costs and production expenses, another consequence of the Yemeni maritime blockade.

 

These ongoing repercussions clearly demonstrate that the direct impacts of the Yemeni maritime blockade have been escalating steadily and without interruption since last November. Despite seeking help from the US, Britain, and Europe, the enemy has found no way to break or contain this blockade, proving that Yemen indeed holds the upper hand in this escalation.

According to these data (in addition to other figures highlighted in previous reports), the extension of Yemeni operations to the Mediterranean and the ban on ships of companies dealing with the enemy will undoubtedly increase prices more significantly than all previous waves combined. This will create a severe crisis for the enemy regarding goods imports and its trade relations with foreign companies, which must understand that being foreign will not exempt them from the consequences of continuing to deal with the enemy entity.

Adding this to the worsening economic situation the enemy is experiencing due to the overall war repercussions (budget deficit, credit rating downgrade, declining foreign investments, tax increases, and the shekel's depreciation), the Yemeni escalation will constitute more than just an additional economic problem. It will impose strategic economic sanctions with long-term effects, making the other economic repercussions of the war much heavier than they are now.

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