Israeli ships will suspend sailing in maritime routes off Yemen to avoid Houthi attacks and piracy activities in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., an Israeli container liner shipping company, said in a statement on Monday that it is adopting “temporary proactive measures” to ensure the safety of its crews, vessels, and customers’ cargo in line with the escalating attacks on Israeli ships
Three Israeli ships were exposed to attacks over the past few days. The recent attack happened on Sunday, when armed pirates attempted to seize an Israeli-linked oil tanker. The USS Mason, a guided-missile destroyer, came to the rescue of the vessel, and captured five pirates.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Monday the five are currently aboard the USS Mason, indicating that the assailants appear to be from Somalia.
On November 24, an Iranian suspected drone attacked an Israeli-linked ship in the Indian Occean, causing damage to the ship. Iran denied responsibility for the attack.
Yemen’s Houthi group has vowed to continue hitting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, and the Israeli-linked ship, Galaxy Leader which the group seized on November 19 remains at Al-Hudaydah port which the Houthi has controlled since 2015.
As the Houthis continue to hold the ship and vow to launch more attacks on Israeli vessels and American forces in the Red Sea, informed sources told Sheba Intelligence last week that international forces would possibly carry out strikes on Houthi military sites inside and around the capital, Sana'a, in addition to the naval operations rooms in the coastal areas, especially in the ports of Al-Hudaydah, Al-Salif, Al-Luhaya, and Kamaran Island.
The Gaza-Israel war, which broke out on October 7, sparked tensions in the region, and the attacks on Israeli-linked ships have escalated in retaliation against the brutal Israeli massacres in Gaza.