AhlulBayt News Agency: The port of Haifa, controlled by Israel and located on the Mediterranean Sea, has reportedly lost its status as a major hub on the planned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which aims to enhance trade between Asia and Europe via Israeli-occupied areas.
A Saturday report by Tasnim News Agency noted that Iran’s missile strikes on Haifa—retaliation for Israeli attacks launched in mid-June—dealt a decisive blow to Israel’s ambitions of transforming Haifa into a key regional transit center.
The report referenced a recent analysis by British maritime security company Ambrey, which has now listed Haifa as a high-risk port for shipping operations.
As a result of this classification, major international shipping companies are reconsidering using Haifa, which may significantly reduce cargo activity and disrupt Israel’s supply chain and import capabilities.
Haifa serves as Israel’s largest trade port, managing most of its fuel, medicine, basic supplies, and industrial imports. It processes over 30 million metric tons of goods annually and has a container handling capacity of 1.4 million TEUs.
However, the Tasnim report emphasized that Iran’s recent strikes, which severely damaged Haifa’s infrastructure including energy facilities, undermined Israeli and American plans to integrate the port into the IMEC.
It also mentioned that Israel invested significant efforts to position Haifa as a unique trade hub, even referring to analysts’ claims that Israel may have been linked to the massive 2020 blast at the competing Beirut port.
The Iranian strikes on Israel, which ended on June 24 following a ceasefire, primarily targeted Haifa and Tel Aviv, the Israeli capital.
Despite Israeli efforts to conceal the extent of the damage, reports indicate the attacks caused substantial destruction and material loss.
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