Hebrew Media Acknowledges Israeli Ship Hit in Joint Yemeni-Iraqi Attack in the Mediterranean for the First Time

In the first Israeli acknowledgment of the joint operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces and the Iraqi Islamic Resistance in the Mediterranean Sea, the Hebrew newspaper “Israel Hayom” confirmed that a ship carrying livestock to the enemy entity was hit in an attack last June while en route to the port of Haifa. The newspaper noted that several livestock ships had faced similar attacks.

The Hebrew newspaper published a report indicating that on June 23, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced the execution of two joint operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, one of which targeted the ship “Shorthorn Express” as it was heading to the port of Haifa.

The newspaper quoted a knowledgeable source as saying that the ship, which was carrying a cargo of calves and live sheep, “was indeed damaged.”

“This event received significant headlines worldwide, but for some reason, nothing was reported in Israel,” hinting at the Zionist enemy’s secrecy about the operations in the Mediterranean,” the newspaper stated.

The newspaper clarified that many ships carrying livestock to the enemy entity had faced Yemeni attacks.

It stated that livestock shipments have been putting animals at risk and causing severe suffering due to ships having to alter their routes to avoid Yemeni attacks. It pointed out that “one livestock ship left Australia for Israel last January with about 14,000 animals on board and had to divert and sail via the Cape of Good Hope due to the threat from the ‘Houthis,’ causing the animals to travel on the ship for 74 days instead of just 18 days.”

The newspaper noted that “previous livestock shipment documents revealed that the animals were enduring unbearable health conditions and often extremely harsh weather conditions.”

The European animal protection organization “Eurogroup for Animals” published a statement at the beginning of last July stating that in the last week of June, “the livestock ship ‘Shorthorn Express,’ coming from the European Union to the port of Haifa, was attacked by drones.”

The organization pointed out that the ship “was carrying about 12,000 live animals.”

The European organization’s statement said that “in light of this attack and in collaboration with four international animal protection organizations, a letter was sent to the European Union Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, calling for the urgent suspension of all live animal shipments from the European Union to ports in the eastern Mediterranean as long as hostilities in the region continue.”

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), in a report last month, confirmed that the joint Yemeni-Iraqi attacks “have indeed impacted shipping in the eastern Mediterranean,” noting that “one of the targeted ships, the chemical and oil product tanker ‘Waller,’ was observed turning off its Automatic Identification System while in waters surrounding Haifa to conceal its course towards Israel.”

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on June 28 that a joint military operation with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance targeted the oil tanker “Waller” in the Mediterranean Sea with several drones as it was heading to the port of Haifa.