Above photo: AFP via Getty Images.
Union leaders in Italy have warned that handling weapons shipments for Israel constitutes complicity in war crimes.
Workers in the Italian port of Genoa have blocked passage of a Saudi vessel carrying weapons shipments for Israel.
The Bahri Yanbu, operated by Saudi shipping firm Bahri, which arrived from Baltimore, Maryland, was slated to take on military hardware made by Italian arms giant Leonardo — including an Oto Melara cannon destined for Abu Dhabi – along with tanks or other heavy weaponry reportedly already positioned in the terminal yard.
Routine inspections revealed that the ship was carrying weapons and ammunition for Israel after 40 dock workers boarded the vessel.
“We don’t work for war,” said Jose Nivoi from the Autonomous Collective of Port Workers and the Union Sindicale di Base, adding that the Port Authority has promised talks for establishing “permanent observatory on arms trafficking.”
Italian union leaders have warned that handling such shipments constitutes complicity in the war crimes carried out by Israel in the Gaza Strip, vowing a ban on unloading weapons for warzones “by any means.”
Genoa port workers had previously intercepted a similar arms shipment on the same ship in 2019.
Genoa dockworkers block Saudi arms ship bound for Israel:
On 7 August, dockworkers in Genoa, Italy, staged a dawn blockade of the Saudi cargo ship Bahri Yanbu after discovering it was carrying weapons, ammunition, explosives, armored vehicles, and tanks, including shipments… pic.twitter.com/1GYO2AXWXw
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) August 10, 2025
The incident is the latest of several similar shipment interceptions, signaling growing international opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
On 4 June, French dockworkers refused to load arms components destined for Israel at France’s Fos-Marseille. The ship was forced to leave the port without the cargo.
The latest interception comes as Israel is planning a full occupation of Gaza City. The brutal Israeli siege on the strip continues to worsen a severe famine, which has seen dozens, including children, die from starvation in recent weeks.
Publicly, Saudi Arabia demands Palestinian statehood in exchange for officially normalizing ties with Israel, despite under-the-table dealings between Riyadh and Tel Aviv. In 2023, former Saudi intelligence colonel Rabih al-Anzi admitted back in 2023 that Saudi Arabia was helping arm Israel for its war against Hamas due to a shortage of western ammunition resulting from the Ukraine war.
In June this year, Anzi also said that Riyadh supported Israel’s war on Iran by opening its airspace to Israeli jets and helping to intercept Iranian drones.
🚨 هذه هي الحقيقة … السعودية تدعم إسرائيل في حربها على إيران وتفتح أجوائها للطائرات الإسرائيلية كي تضرب طهران بالإضافة إلى ذلك تقوم أنظمة الدفاع الجوي السعودي بمحاولة اعتراض الطائرات المسيرة الإيرانية في أجوائها وإسقاطها قبل أن تصل إلى إسرائيل ،،، pic.twitter.com/Da5WFaFnMA
— Col.RabihAlenezi عقيد/ رابح العنزي (@ColAleneziRabih) June 14, 2025
Other Arab states, including the UAE, which normalized ties with Israel in 2020, have contributed to the Israeli military industry and the Israeli economy throughout the genocidal war on Gaza.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, the UAE has facilitated a land route between Israel and Arab states to help the Israeli government bypass the Yemeni blockade.
As part of these efforts, goods arrive in the UAE by ship and are trucked into Saudi Arabia and Jordan before being delivered to Israel via the King Hussein Bridge.
UAE-Israeli defense ties have rapidly expanded since the 2020 Abraham Accords. A most recent deal, which has yet to be finalized, will see the Emirati Edge Group procure the Hermes 900 drone from Israeli military company Elbit Systems.
