News - Middle East: The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), an international non-governmental organization, confirmed that joint operations by the Yemeni Armed Forces and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have impacted shipping linked to Israel in the eastern Mediterranean. This marks the second confirmation breaking Israel's imposed secrecy on the outcomes of these operations.

In a report published on Monday, ACLED stated that Israeli forces have reported several interceptions that correspond to the announcement of Yemeni-Iraqi joint operations targeting ships near and within the port of Haifa.

The report added that the attacks have already impacted shipping in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It noted that one of the vessels targeted, the Waler chemical/oil products tanker, was recorded as turning off its automatic identification system while in the waters around Haifa to hide its trajectory toward Israel.

On June 28, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced a joint military operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, targeting the Waler oil tanker in the Mediterranean with several drones as it headed to the port of Haifa.

This marks the second confirmation of Yemeni-Iraqi attacks in the Mediterranean. The European animal protection organization Eurogroup for Animals confirmed in a statement a few days ago that the livestock carrier Shorthorn Express was attacked by drones while heading to the port of Haifa, corroborating the Yemeni Armed Forces' announcement on June 23.

These confirmations break the severe secrecy imposed by Israel on the results of Yemeni-Iraqi operations targeting ships heading to ports in the Mediterranean. Israel remains completely silent on these operations due to their significant impact on shipping, which it relies on as its last sea outlet after the Red Sea was closed.

The Yemeni Armed Forces and Iraqi fighters have been staging numerous anti-Israeli strikes, either separately or in cooperation, since last October, when the Israeli regime began a war against the Gaza Strip.

Around 39,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died as a result of the war that began following a retaliatory operation carried out by Gaza’s resistance groups.

The Iraqi Resistance’s anti-Israeli strikes have been mainly aimed at targets lying across the occupied territories. Yemeni forces have expanded their strikes to include vessels heading towards the ports of those territories.