The birth of agriculture

International Relations Think Tank Bab al-Mandab strait is of special importance for the Zionist regime due to its strategic position, and this regime’s view of this waterway is a view of Israel’s existence. In this article, I will discuss the strategic effects of this strait on the economic security of the Zionist regime.

The geopolitical importance of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait

In the first step, the thing that makes the Strait of Bab Al Mandab the third most important artery in the world after the Strait of Gibraltar and the Strait of Hormuz is its geopolitical position. As a strategic passage that connects the continent of Asia with the continent of Africa, the Bab al-Mandeb strait leads from the east to Yemen and from the west to Djibouti, and is considered the meeting point of these two continents. On the other hand, Bab al-Mandab is the connecting bridge for the entry of ships to the Suez Canal, and between the two is the Red Sea, which is extremely important for the trade of the Zionist regime. In other words, the Bab al-Mandab strait connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and then to the Indian Ocean. The distance between the two banks of this strait is 22 km. Mayon Island (Prim 2) has divided this strait into two waterways, its eastern waterway (with a width of 4 km and a depth of 30 meters) is called Bab Iskandar and its western waterway (with a width of 16 km and a depth of 100-200 meters) is The name of Dakka al-Mayun is famous. All international goods move through the western passage of this strait. The total width of both sea routes of this strait, which is located in the west of Prim Island, does not exceed about 3.5 kilometers. Because the waters of the coast of Djibouti are shallow and it is not possible for ships to travel there. The length of the Bab al-Mandab strait is about 150 km, which stretches from the south of Eritrea to the southern borders of Djibouti (the common border between Djibouti and Somalia). The favorable location of Prim Island in relation to the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait has made the country of Yemen to have more control over this strait than other countries. According to the international law of the sea, the territorial waters of each country are calculated from a coastal point of 12 miles. Therefore, the water passage of Bab al-Mandab is located within the territorial waters of Yemen. But the efforts made by the superpowers of the world to internationalize the waterways of the straits led to the reduction of the rights of the countries overlooking the straits and waterways (including the Bab al-Mandab strait).

Economic importance:

This strait has made possible fast and low-cost communication between Asia and Europe and from Europe to America. About 12% of the world trade volume and 30% of the world’s container ship traffic takes place through this strait. About 4 million barrels of oil are transited from Bab al-Mandeb on the way to Europe. About 25 thousand ships pass through this area. Much of Europe’s energy resources, such as oil and diesel fuel, are imported through this waterway. Food products such as oil and grains and many other commercial products also enter Europe through this channel

The importance of Bab al-Mandeb and the Red Sea for the Zionist regime:

Tel Aviv is highly dependent on international waterways to maintain its existence. Container ships that bring goods such as shoes, clothes, furniture, and electrical goods to Israel enter the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab strait and from there they arrive at the port of Eilat at the edge of the occupied territories. Asian imports and exports make up about a quarter of the regime’s total foreign trade, which is mainly transited through the Red Sea routes. The volume of Israel’s foreign sea trade is over 400 billion shekels per year, and 99% of the volume of imports is carried out by ships and sea, 30% of which comes through the Red Sea. About 40% of the goods that reach Israel pass through the Suez Canal. Closing the strait for the regime means stopping the exchange of 15 billion dollars through this strait. With the closure of Bab al-Mandab, the ships of the Israeli regime must completely bypass the African continent. Delays in the supply of raw materials and goods to Israelis could extend to other sectors of industry in Israel

Yemen’s entry into the Gaza war

Yemen controls parts of Bab al-Mandab, which practically allows this country to prevent the entry of Israeli ships to the ports of this regime. The entry of Yemen into the campaign of the Gaza war actually changed the balance of the war and created difficult conditions for this regime in such a way that Yemen practically prevents Israeli ships from passing through Bab al-Mandab. The importance of the Yemeni Ansarullah movement’s measures to seize and attack ships related to the Zionist regime is not only limited to the demonstration of power in the military field – of course, it goes without saying that this aspect of the issue is also very important considering the limited capabilities of the Yemeni fighters – but also the achievement of the Yemeni forces. In the attack on Israeli shipments, it is defined in the severe limitations that this regime faces in the field of economy and food security. In fact, 80% of the resources needed by the Zionist regime in the field of energy are imported from abroad, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is one of the main entrances to this issue, and the restriction of imports from this point will be very expensive for the occupying regime. According to official sources, in 2023, nearly 100 million tons of Israeli imports will be made through the Bab al-Mandeb crossing. On the other hand, the Bab al-Mandab strait has always been considered as Israel’s bottleneck for securing its food resources, and Ansarullah’s attacks on the cargoes that are moving through this strait towards the occupied territories will have very negative consequences on the food security of this regime.

The restriction created in the Bab al-Mandeb strait by the fighters of Ansarullah will not only overshadow the imports of the Zionist regime, but Israeli companies will no longer be able to send their products to other countries. On the other hand, before the Al-Aqsa storm operation, a huge part of the Zionist regime’s exports were made through this strait, and if Ansarullah’s attacks on the cargo belonging to this regime continue, it can be said that the Zionist regime’s economy will suffer a huge loss, as Now, due to the war in the Gaza Strip, many companies of this regime are on the verge of complete bankruptcy.

The economic impact of the closure of the Bab al-Mandab strait to Israel

According to the data of the Ministry of Economy of the Zionist regime, the value of Israel’s exports in 2023 was more than 166 billion dollars. According to Israel’s official information, 38% of Israeli goods are exported to European markets, while 35% of them are exported to American countries, 24% to Asia, and the rest to Africa and Ukraine. Most of these exports have taken place through the Bab al-Mandab strait, because this waterway connects different oceans and continents, for this reason, the closure of Bab al-Mandab means the destruction of the Zionist regime’s exports and its indescribable economic loss. On the other hand, the value of goods imported to Israel in 2023 amounted to 107.7 billion dollars, which has increased by 16.9% compared to 2022. The closure of Bab al-Mandab can make Israel’s imports face many problems and lead it to the abyss of destruction. It should be noted that the data of the Shipping and Ports Organization of the Ministry of Transport of Israel show that in 2022, about 40.6 million tons of goods were unloaded in Israeli ports and about 18.2 million tons of goods were loaded in these ports.

Crisis in the port of Eilat (Umm al-Rashrash) following the threats of Yemen’s Ansarullah

Following the actions of Yemen’s Ansarullah and preventing the passage of ships bound for Israel through Bab al-Mandab, the port of Eilat has been paralyzed and suffered severe economic and commercial damage. The export and import of cars, chemicals and foodstuffs of Israel are carried out from the port of Eilat, and after the incident of Bab al-Mandeb, the export and import of these goods have almost reached zero. Although only 3% of the total transit of goods in Israel takes place through Eilat, it should not be forgotten that Eilat is the largest port for importing cars to Israel and about 44% of all vehicles imported to Israel are unloaded at this port. be.

Conclusion

In general, the importance of Bab al-Mandab for Israel’s economic security is indescribable because the Zionist regime conducts many of its trade exchanges by sea, and the Bab al-Mandab strait is the gateway for Israeli goods to Asian countries. After the events of October 7 and the entry of Yemen’s Ansarullah into the war with Israel, we are witnessing the fact that the cost of the war in Gaza for Israel at the cost of the destruction of the sea trade of this regime is running out, and the presence of Ansarallah in the middle of the war has caused the regime’s sea trade to stop in the port of Eilat. has been According to all the factors, Bab al-Mandab is the vital passage of Israel for the continuation of maritime life and this weakness can be considered as the biggest weakness of this regime to advance its maritime trade, and for this reason, the regime’s view of this strait is a view that should be taken in any direction from achieving The axis of resistance prevented the banks of the strait, and for this reason, they are trying to neutralize Yemen’s approach to war at the international level by creating a coalition and free this regime from the growing economic pressure.