Defeat the Houthis to reopen the Port of Eilat, local leaders urge

Houthi attacks on Red Sea ships led to shutdown of Israel’s southernmost port.

By World Israel News Staff

The Houthi terror group has escalated its attacks against the Jewish state in recent days, with two ballistic missiles striking central Israel on Thursday and Friday.

As the political and military echelons discuss retaliatory measures to deter future attacks, local leaders from Eilat are noted that failure to curb Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea has crippled one of the city’s most critical sites.

The Port of Eilat, which serves ships traveling to Israel via the Red Sea, “is an important, significant, and central asset that directly and indirectly employs hundreds of workers,” Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri told Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.

For more than a year, Houthi attacks on both the port itself and ships traveling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait near Yemen have meant that virtually no ships are arriving at the Port of Eilat.

Lankri said that for the last 14 months, the port has been virtually shuttered and that residents have endured sporadic missile and drone attacks.

A decisive military victory over the Houthis is the only way to restore security to residents of Eilat and encourage shipping companies to resume using the port.

“Securing Eilat is not just an urban interest but a national interest. Eilat is the southern gateway to the State of Israel, and as such, it must be kept open and safe,” Lankri stressed.

Moshe Azulai, chair of the labor union representing the Port of Eilat’s workers, told Ynet that the port is “effectively closed.” He said that, despite initial negotiations with management to keep employees, nearly all the port’s workers are currently on unpaid leave.

“It’s sad to see the port like this,” Azulai, a native of Eilat, said. “We are doing everything we can, but there is a serious problem because there is no work.”

Since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have fired hundreds of missiles and explosive drones at Israel.

In July 2024, an explosive drone struck a building in Tel Aviv, some 200 meters away from the American consulate, killing a Belarussian-Israeli man.