RINO: Agencies – The security and shipping industries on Friday raised the threat level for ships visiting Israeli ports, with the ports potentially targeted by missile strikes from Lebanon’s Hezbollah group in the Mediterranean and Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea.
The world’s largest shipping industry associations today updated their Red Sea guidelines, saying that companies operating ships visiting or planning to visit Israeli ports “should restrict access to their information.”
“Houthi forces could use the information published as part of their targeting operations… Companies whose vessels are subject to incidents should consider the possibility of their vessels being targeted by the Houthis in the future,” the memo said.
Earlier this week, the Israeli government’s Ports Authority issued a letter explaining that Israeli ports from Eilat on the Red Sea in southern Israel to the major Mediterranean ports in Haifa in the north were operating at full capacity.
But sirens sounded this week for the first time in months in the city of Haifa after Hezbollah fired rockets from Lebanon and a drone launched from Iraq hit the port of Eilat, according to British maritime security firm Ambry.
Ambry said in a memo published on Friday that its assessment of the risk to ships visiting Israeli ports is “high.” Ambry’s memos are closely watched by insurers and ship-owning companies.
“It is possible that any further escalating Israeli air strikes or Israeli ground incursion (into Lebanon) could cause direct operations against Haifa port,” Ambry said.