Houthi gains at Bab el-Mandeb expose Israel's unresolved Eilat shipping crisis – analysis

The Houthis' recent gains along Yemen's western coast and control of Perim Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait have intensified a long-standing threat to Israel's Port of Eilat, now also impacting Saudi Arabia's Red Sea shipping. Since November 2023, Houthi attacks and threats have severely disrupted direct commercial shipping to Eilat, causing an 80% drop in port revenue and a drastic reduction in ship calls. While an alternative route via Aqaba, Jordan, has allowed some cargo to reach Eilat, direct international shipping has not resumed.

• Despite IDF strikes in Yemen and government assistance to the port, no comprehensive plan has been approved to restore full commercial freedom of navigation to Eilat.
• MK Oded Forer stated, "It doesn't matter who the operator is. If ships don't enter the port, there will be no port."
• Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri noted the port is "almost completely shut down."
• The shared strategic interest with Saudi Arabia regarding the Bab al-Mandab Strait presents a new opportunity for a regional effort to restore shipping to Eilat.