Britons are feeling the impact of the UK government’s support for the Israeli entity and the Yemeni forces’ pro-Palestine reprisal operations in the Red Sea.
The price of petrol and diesel has surged across the United Kingdom following retaliatory strikes by Yemeni armed forces on US and British vessels, as well as Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, in support of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
British media reported a 3.2p per liter increase in petrol and a 4p per liter increase in diesel, as fuel tankers were forced to circumvent the Suez Canal and instead travel around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope due to heightened tensions in the strategic Red Sea and Arabian Sea.
In the three weeks leading up to February 18, petrol rose to 143.4p per liter, while diesel climbed to 152p, according to the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), which described the situation as “worrying” for motorists.
Although the financial burden on British petrol car drivers had been easing over the last three months, with prices falling back from 157p to below 140p in mid-January, the recent increase is a setback. Diesel prices had also decreased by 15p, from 163p in early October to just below 148p in late January, but were still cheaper for much of the previous summer.
“News that fuel prices have bottomed out and are now on the rise again is bad news for drivers, and possibly the economy and future inflation rates, too,” said Simon Williams, the RAC’s fuel spokesperson.
The RAC attributed the recent fuel price hike to the Red Sea attacks by Yemeni forces and the closure of British refineries for maintenance.
A senior Yemeni official has warned the EU against “playing with fire” as the bloc launches a naval military mission in the Red Sea. Yemen’s armed forces have been targeting Israeli ships and those bound for Israeli ports since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
According to Yemen’s al-Maseera television network, the Yemeni armed forces have carried out 30 naval operations since November 19, 2023, targeting 32 ships, including three owned by the Israeli regime, 13 US ships, six British ships, and 10 ships heading to Israeli ports.
The Israeli occupation has murdered more than 29,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured some 70,000 others in Gaza since launching its US-backed onslaught on October 7, 2023.
Ibrahim Mohammad al-Deilami, the Yemeni ambassador to Iran, stated that Yemen’s armed forces would strike any US and British targets ‘within firing range’ in response to their recent acts of aggression against Yemen’s territory.
The pro-Palestine Yemeni operations have led some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, which normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.
The Yemeni army has clarified that only Israeli, US, and British ships are targeted, ensuring the safety of other countries’ cargoes.
Source: Websites (edited and translated by Al-Manar English Website)
