CrossFireArabia
According to Bloomberg, the bankruptcy of Israel’s Eilat port is attributed to the Yemeni resistance’s blockade of ships attempting to aid Israel amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza according to the Quds News Network.
Despite efforts by the U.S.-UK coalition to counter Yemen’s blockade in the Red Sea, Eilat port remains largely out of service to this day.
CrossFireArabia
Ehud Olmert, former Israeli Prime Minister confirmed that Benjamin Netanyahu does not want to recover the Israeli prisoners in the Gaza Strip, and that the ceasefire negotiations may collapse. He warned the current Israeli prime minister is leading Israel to the abyss and a comprehensive war in the Middle East.
In a recent Haaretz article Olmert added, the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip and its expansion in the north with Hezbollah will increase the chances of a comprehensive regional war with other parties like the Yemeni armed forces, and other groups supported by Iran in Syria and Iraq joining in.
He said such a scenario would pose a real threat to Israel, and a step that will lead to the deaths of many soldiers and settlers. He noted this will cause serious damage to the physical infrastructure inside Israel and to a real deterioration in its international standing.
He pointed out Netanyahu must choose between abandoning his declared goal of “absolute victory” and continuing the war and expanding it into a comprehensive confrontation on multiple fronts without a reasonable timetable to end it. He added that Israel is approaching a comprehensive war in great strides, and this is what Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich want.
Olmert called on Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, and Mossad chief David Barnea to jointly announce their resignations, as soon as Netanyahu thwarts negotiations to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza in the coming days.
In a related context, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said in its editorial that the prisoners that are being held in Gaza, now in their 11-month of captivity have “begun to slowly rot in Hamas tunnels, and have become secondary figures for Netanyahu.”
The newspaper pointed out that Netanyahu sometimes says that he is ready to negotiate, and other times he lengthens the Israeli delegation’s rope, and announces that he will be flexible, but suddenly he adds new conditions, revealing that he says in closed political salons that there is no ceasefire deal, and in the meantime more prisoners are dying according to the Quds News Network.
CrossFireArabia
Despite his tough and uncompromising stands Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands on shaky grounds.
As reported in the Jewish Maariv daily and highlighted in the Quds News Network, his teflon-factor toughness is dented domestically and daily, as characterized by the popular opposition against his rule, in the street and the Knesset.
Around 55% of Israelis have low confidence in the current military leadership of the country; 73% don’t trust the government and 71% express very low trust in Netanyahu.
Further, 86% are concerned about the security situation in Israel; 73% worried about the economic situation of the country and 63% support the recruitment of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army.
Around 500,000 Israelis have left the country since 7 October, 2023, and the Ben Gurion Airport is already packed with travelers wanting to leave following Friday’s Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu is visiting the United States with all these statistics staring him in the face.
He is addressing the US Congress and meeting US President Joe Biden amidst a declining trust among Israelis in his leadership.
This is particularly due to his failure to secure a ceasefire that could facilitate an exchange deal with the resistance in Gaza. At the same time the fate of 120-plus Israeli hostages hang in the balance.
At the same time, he is facing intense pressure from far-right ministers who threaten to dissolve the government if he agrees to a deal.
They are insisting that he initiate an all-out war against Lebanon—a conflict that, according to the U.S., could escalate into a regional war, which the U.S. has warned against.
But the US is worried also because Hezbollah is proving a very strong match in the north whilst the Houthis are prepared for an all out war which would disruptive globally.
CrossFireArabia
The Yemeni Houthi Ansar Allah group, Saturday, vowed to respond to the Israeli airstrikes on the western part of the country.
The Israeli attack on Al Hudaydah “aims to exacerbate the suffering of the people and pressure Yemen to stop supporting Gaza,” Mohammed Abulsalam, the Houthi spokesman, said in a post on X according to Anadolu.
“We affirm that this brutal aggression will only increase the determination and steadfastness of the Yemeni people and their brave armed forces, continuing and escalating their support for Gaza,” added the spokesman.
— SHORT NEWS (@BuonJose11019) July 20, 2024
#BREAKING : At least 80 people have been injured in the Israeli attacks on Al Hudaydah in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Houthi Ministry of Health.
pic.twitter.com/gbR0qaXPTr
Member of the Houthi Political Council Mohammed al-Houthi threatened his group would “plague” Israel as a response to the attacks on Port of Al Hudaydah.
— Musinga Canisius
The Israeli Defense Force confirmed strikes "on military targets" of the Houthis near the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen, calling it a response to "hundreds of attacks" on Israel in recent months
Stated by country's defense Minister. pic.twitter.com/uKIhNu6YVn(@CanisiusMu64236) July 20, 2024
The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah satellite channel reported casualties from the Israeli airstrikes on the coastal side of Yemen.
The strikes targeted oil storage facilities at the Al Hudaydah port, as well as a power plant that provides electricity to the western governorate.
In an official statement, the Israeli military confirmed attacking targets in Yemen, claiming they are linked to the Houthis.
This is the first direct Israeli response to the recent Houthi Yafa drone attack on Tel Aviv, Friday, that killed an ex-Israeli soldier and wounded at least 10 others.
The Israeli attacks against Al Hudaydah are as seen as historic, made for the first time by Israeli warplanes, traveling all the way from Tel Aviv to the Yemeni Port down the Red Sea, just before the Bab Al Mandeb Straits.
The Israeli attack made with the knowledged of the USA which subsequentely denied taking part in the raid was carried out by 20 Israeli jets which had to be refueled in mid-air because of the 1700 kilometer distance to Hudaydah according to the Israel Hayoum website.
The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or headed to Israeli ports on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under a devastating Israeli onslaught since 7 October last year, the Turkish news agency reported.
CrossFireArabia
Yedioth Ahronoth revealed new details about the “Jaffa” drone that attacked Tel Aviv leading to the death of an Israeli and the injury of at least 10 others.
#Breaking: Urgent | Yedioth Ahronoth quoting officials: We will respond to the Houthis launching a drone and the option of attacking Yemeni territory is on the table#AlHouthis #Yemen @AlarabyTV pic.twitter.com/WrAWWhzu3D
—World News
(@ferozwala) July 19, 2024
The Israeli newspaper reported the drone attack on a residential building in central Tel Aviv killing Yevgeny Perder show it was launched from Yemen and traveled about 2,000 kilometers.
“Some of the fly routes taken by the drone were new compared to previous trajectories to make the matter difficult and confusing for the detection systems in the Israeli army,” the paper said.
It stated the Jaffa drone warhead was “relatively small and contained several kilograms of explosives,”. This “allowed for a long flight, and the extent of damage limited.”
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) July 19, 2024
“The full flight path is still under investigation, but according to preliminary assessments of the Israeli army, the drone passed through Sinai and crossed the Mediterranean Sea off the southern coast,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
This is Tel-Aviv.
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) July 20, 2024
Using only a gif, tell me how this makes you feelpic.twitter.com/MBRFFOTk0a
The explosion occurred at dawn on Friday, about 100 meters from the US Embassy’s branch office complex.
— ADAM (@AdameMedia) July 19, 2024
Don’t worry, there’s a “safe zone” and even a humanitarian corridor!
Israelis, please head to the safe zones, Tel Aviv is not safe!
Truly, Yemen is the most moral army in the worldpic.twitter.com/GhwFsyidpM
The Yemeni “Ansar Allah” movement – Houthis – stated “the Yemeni Armed Forces’ air force carried out a qualitative military operation targeting one of the important targets in the occupied Jaffa region, the so-called Israeli Tel Aviv.”
In Yemen, we do not officially recognize Israel, nor popularly we don't use the name "Israel" or "Tel Aviv" in Yemen. Even Yahya Saree always says, "occupied Palestine," and today he said the area Jaffa what is called by Israeli "Tel Aviv"
— Ahmed Hassan
YEMEN IS DIFFERENT pic.twitter.com/ThyPZdvxhk
The Houthis explained the operation was carried out “with a new drone called “Yafa” capable of bypassing the enemy’s interception systems and being unable to be detected by radars. The operation successfully achieved its goals.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an assessment of the situation after such targeting, with officials confirming “there will be a reaction, and that a response within the territory of Yemen is on the table” according to Jo.24 website.
