News - World: Western officials continue to acknowledge the superiority of the Yemeni Armed Forces in the ongoing confrontations across the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, in solidarity with the Palestinian people over the past 15 months.

Admiral Vasileios Gryparis of the Greek Navy stated on Friday that the Yemenis have demonstrated their ability to adapt technology to accurately guide missiles toward their targets.

Joshua Hutchinson, Director of Intelligence and Risk Management at Ambrey, explained that Sana’a’s forces employ technology allowing them to engage targets with high precision in the final stages of an attack. He noted that targeted ships, primarily those operated by the U.S., U.K., or Israel, are difficult to evade or hide, even with their identification systems turned off. 

Hutchinson emphasized that Yemeni forces are very clear about their targets, allowing other ships to pass through the Red Sea without interference. "The situation in the Red Sea is dramatic," he said, adding, "It’s explosions, it’s missiles."

Stavros Karambiridis, Head of Maritime Transport Research at Plymouth Business School, remarked that U.S. and coalition airstrikes have had minimal impact on Yemeni capabilities. He disclosed that ships from the U.S., U.K., and Israel have rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope.

According to The National, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that rerouting ships around the Cape of Good Hope adds 30% more transit time and approximately $1 million in additional fuel costs per diversion.

Louise Neville, CEO for Maritime Transport and Logistics at Marsh UK, noted that insurance premiums for Red Sea crossings have risen to 2% of the ship’s value per transit.

Niels Haupt, a senior executive at Hapag-Lloyd, confirmed that insurance premiums remain exceptionally high, ranging from 1-7% of the ship’s insured value per trip. Haupt added that few shipping companies are willing to insure such risks, with many competitors still avoiding the Red Sea. He predicted that this situation would persist until 2025.

The National also highlighted data from Bank of America showing that prices more than doubled in 2024 due to operations in the Red Sea. Yemeni operations have reportedly executed 297 missions as of November 18, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).

The ongoing situation underscores the significant impact of Yemeni military operations on global maritime logistics and security, with far-reaching consequences for international trade routes.

Since the onset of the Israeli regime’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023—after Palestinian resistance movements launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm—Yemen has declared unwavering support for Palestine’s struggle against occupation. The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched regular strikes against Israel as part of a phased escalation campaign.

This campaign has included a strict maritime blockade of Israeli shipping, effectively preventing vessels from reaching Israeli ports. In the initial phase, Yemeni forces targeted the port of Umm al-Rashrash in southern occupied Palestine. This escalation marks the culmination of a year-long series of actions across five phases.