Saudi Arabia builds trade corridor to circumvent Houthis amid continued attacks on Israel & shipping lanes

Saudi Arabia is building a new regional trade corridor linking Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iraq to circumvent the southern Red Sea, where the Yemeni Houthi terrorists continue to fire on ships while launching missiles at Israel.

The terror group began launching ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in 2023, claiming to support Hamas in its war against Israel. Since then, the group broadened its attacks to ships that are allegedly bound for Israel or otherwise connected to the Jewish state.

The latest ballistic missile launch from Yemen on Tuesday evening, once again, sent millions of Israelis in central Israel and the Jerusalem area into their shelters. Israel Defense Forces later announced that the missile had been intercepted without causing damage.

The previous attack came last Friday, triggering alarm sirens in Arad, Hebron, and additional towns in the northern Negev, Judea, and the Dead Sea area.

The Houthis have persisted in their attacks on Israel as well as international ships despite repeated waves of Israeli, U.S. and British airstrikes over the past months.

Earlier this week, the Houthis released a video showing ten members of the crew of the ETERNITY C, a cargo ship they claimed was heading for Eilat before sinking it earlier this month.

The continued threat along the critical waterway in the Red Sea, which also leads to the Suez Canal in Egypt, has caused traffic to drop significantly.

The Saudi Press Agency announced Wednesday that the Neom port, located in northern Saudi Arabia, relatively close to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders, completed a trial run of a new trade corridor, which would cut cargo times to Egypt and Iraq in half.

During the trial, a shipment began its voyage in Cairo, crossing the Red via Egypt’s Safaga Port and Saudi Arabia’s Neom port. The shipment continued overland to Irbil in northern Iraq, a distance of some 900 km (approximately 560 miles).

While the highly ambitious project of Neom, a planned futuristic city in the desert, has been plagued by delays and cutbacks, the Saudi government has prioritized upgrading its port.

Recently, a 900-meter (2,953-foot) quay wall was completed, and the access channel deepened to 18.5 meters (about 60 feet), allowing the world’s largest container ships to dock at the port.

“This pilot project is a pivotal step in implementing a long-term vision to enhance Neom port’s role as a major logistics and maritime hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the agency stated.

This article originally appeared on All Arab News and is reposted with permission.