Ansar Allah keeps rocking Israel, which in turn keeps bombing Gaza and Syria

...plus the latest speeches by Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malek al-Houthi and Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem + other news from Syria, Israel and Iran.

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YAF spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree - from Al Mayadeen.

In the early morning of yesterday, Friday 3rd January 2025, the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) launched another ballistic missile target towards Israel, “triggering sirens in major city settlements, occupied cities, and occupied areas” in central Palestine and the West Bank, including “Tel Aviv, occupied al-Quds [Jerusalem], Ramat Gan, Rishon LeZion, Petach Tikva, and Beit Shemesh, among other areas”, as reported by Al Mayadeen. At first, the Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF) said that they could not intercept it before it entered Israeli airspace, as per The Times of Israel, however interception was later confirmed, but over the central city of Modiin (source: Times of Israel), though IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency of Iran) quotes Israeli media reporting that the missile “struck the Modi'in military base located in the western city of Ramallah”. So, clashing reports, as usual. However, the third video in this tweet (also shown below) clearly shows a significant ground impact, which in my opinion counters the IDF claim that it is an “interceptor fragment” - too bright the explosion and too loud the bang, not to mention the fact that I do not see any interception in any video in the tweet - judge for yourself:

However, according to a statement released by the YAF yesterday afternoon and reported by Yemen News Agency Saba, IRNA and Al Mayadeen, its Missile Force targeted a power station east of Yaffa (Tel Aviv) with a Palestine 2 ballistic missile, whereas its UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] targeted a military target in the same area with a Yaffa drone. According to the IDF, quoted by The Times of Israel, both missile and drone were shot down.

Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malek al-Houthi - from Al Mayadeen.

Let’s now switch to the speech that the leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul Malek al-Houthi, gave last Thursday, 2nd January 2025: a long summary provided can be found in this article by Saba, whereas a shorter one can be be found in this other article by Al Mayadeen. What follows are my highlights, taken from the latter source (all emphasis mine):

This week, we carried out a significant and powerful operation, targeting the US aircraft carrier [USS Harry S.] Truman for the second time with 11 cruise missiles and a drone [during] preparations for launching a large-scale aggressive operation against our country, targeting several provinces. The U.S. plan to attack our country was thwarted, leading to the retreat of the carrier and its accompanying naval vessels to the far north of the Red Sea. [Please refer to the final part of this article].

This week's operations included the downing of two MQ-9 drones in Al-Bayda and Ma'rib. These expensive drones are crucial for US reconnaissance and aggression. [Please refer to the first part of my previous original article].

The occupation describes Yemen as an extremely complex adversary, which is highly positive for us. It signifies that Yemen, both officially and popularly, is a resilient, strong, steadfast, and cohesive nation.

The Israelis were surprised by the intensified supportive operations for the Palestinian people from Yemen, which have had significant impact and effectiveness.

The US aggression against our country has indeed contributed to the development of our military capabilities, as we are engaged in a battle of this magnitude against advanced US technologies and resources.

We will not waver in our principled, faithful, moral stance against Israeli aggression, and this will not affect the level of our position.

We are advancing our stance to the highest levels and aspire for greater achievements.

The Palestinian Authority becoming embroiled in Palestinian bloodshed, turning the battle in the West Bank into internal strife. [Effectively the Palestinian Authority is fighting Israel’s War in the West Bank, as explained in this Counterpunch article - it has even banned Al Jazeera!].

The Palestinian Authority's hopes of achieving peace with the Israeli occupation through negotiations are an illusion and a mirage. Israel will never permit the establishment of a Palestinian state, a fact explicitly declared in the Knesset and openly acknowledged by key criminals in the entity.

[Referring to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)] How many hundreds of meetings have been held without any results? During the aggression on Gaza, the Security Council convened over 50 meetings with no outcome.

Is the Palestinian Authority waiting for Trump, whom the Israelis rely on to finally annex the West Bank or more?

The rocket strikes from Gaza carry highly significant messages and are a clear testament to the failure of the Israeli occupation, representing a genuine achievement for the fighters in the Strip.

The missile strikes by Saraya al-Quds on Yafa [Tel Aviv] and al-Quds, 15 months into the aggression and from the northern parts of the devastated Strip, send a powerful message of resilience and steadfastness.

The martyr Hajj Qassem Soleimani played a highly distinguished role in supporting the Palestinian people and aiding the fighters in Palestine.

The two dear martyrs, Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, are credited with their remarkable and significant roles in confronting Israeli and US conspiracies.

Since the establishment of some Islamic Resistance movements in Gaza and Palestine, there has been substantial cooperation, with Iran playing an honorable role in supporting the Palestinian people.

Iran is being targeted because of its significant contribution to the Palestinian cause and its support for fighters in Palestine, as well as its backing of support fronts.

There remains a responsibility upon them to take a strong stance against the US crime of targeting martyrs Soleimani and al-Muhandis on Iraqi soil.

Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Jamal Amer - from Saba.ye.

In addition, according to Saba, Yemeni Foreign Minister Jamal Amer sent a letter to the UN Secretary General and to UNSC president “expressing disapproval of the Security Council's continued inability to fulfill its responsibilities to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the purposes of the UN Charter”, noting Israeli violations of international law by committing war crimes, genocide and brutal massacres in Gaza Strip, as well as the Israeli and US-UK bombings of Yemeni civilian sites, including the 3 ports of Hodeida, used to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial goods, the Sanaa International Airport, where a high-ranking UN delegation was almost killed a week ago (see my article in the link below), and the the power plants in Sanaa and Hodeida. Here is an excerpt of the letter, which concludes by calling on the UNSC to “review its unjust positions that support the executioner against the victims, and to seriously consider Sana'a's proposal to stop the war crimes and genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza Strip, and to find a solution to the Palestinian issue”:

The reason for the Zionist-US aggression is related to Sana'a's principled, humanitarian and moral stance rejecting the genocidal war and forced displacement against the people of Gaza by preventing ships heading to the usurper entity or associated with it.

United Nations Security Council (UNSC) - from IRNA.

Since the UNSC was mentioned, it is worth reporting that yesterday a meeting was convened to discuss the ongoing developments in the Middle East, including the situation in Palestine and, in particular, the Israeli attack against the Kamal Adwan hospital in Gaza’s northern city of Beit Lahia and the arrest of its director, Hussam Abu Safiya (see opening of this article), as per IRNA, which quoted Asim Iftikhar, Alternate Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, as saying (emphasis mine):

Between October 2023 and June 2024, at least 136 strikes were carried out on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities. Over 500 healthcare workers lost their lives.

The indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the systematic destruction of critical infrastructure are not isolated incidents. They are calculated acts aimed at erasing an entire people from their homeland.

Amar Bendjama, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN and the Security Council’s president for the month of January, urged on the UNSC to call for an urgent, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, something that Great Satan (a.k.a. the Outlaw US Empire) keeps vetoing every time it is proposed.

From Al Mayadeen.

It is also worth reporting that on 8th January the UNSC will convene to “determine whether to remove the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization off the UN terrorist list, according to Amar Bendjama, Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of January”, as reported by Al Mayadeen. Considering that the Outlaw US Empire and its NATO and EU vassal countries, France and UK, which are permanent members of the UNSC with veto rights, have already said that they would like to remove HTS from the list of terrorist organizations, I expect that this is what will happen, especially if you also take into consideration that Russia, another permanent member of the UNSC, has been in negotiations with HTS to keep its bases in Syria. It is very unlikely that Russia, as well as China, the 5th permanent member of UNSC, will veto a resolution to remove HTS from the UN terrorist list - they may not approve it, but I am pretty sure that they will not veto it. We will see in a few days…

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Speaking of Syria, the IDF launched airstrikes targeting Syrian defense facilities and, in particular, arms production sites “in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, in northern Syria, late on Thursday” 2nd January 2025, with ground troops advancing “to the al-Mantara Dam in the Quneitra countryside, the largest dam in southern Syria” as reported in this other Al Mayadeen article, while reinforcements have been sent to areas occupied earlier (source: Al Mayadeen).

From Al Mayadeen.

At the same time, the new Syrian government, while not saying a word about the ongoing Israeli invasion and aggressions, wants to impose its own Islamist agenda in school education, thus facing backlash from its citizens. Rima Flihan, a Syrian writer and human rights activist, was quoted by Al Maydeen as saying:

The erasure of the defunct regime’s glorification is understandable, but deleting historical facts and events from our people’s struggle, and milestones of ancient civilizations. . . [is] not a coincidence.

…referring for instance to the elimination of references to pre-Islamic deities (and the term "deities" itself!), the reduction of criticism of the Ottoman Empire (including removal of a mention of the notorious 1916 mass execution of Arab nationalists by the Ottomans - if you are wondering why, do not forget the Turkish support for the terrorist groups!), omissions of the text of Syria's citizenship law and of mentions of Zenobia, the renowned pre-Islamic queen of ancient Palmyra, etc. Were you expecting something different from “moderate jihadists”?

By the way, see how Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known as “head-chopper” Abu Mohammad al-Julani, treats differently men and women: in the video below you can see him welcoming the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot with a handshake, which instead is denied to the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock:

Where are all the European and American feminists in the US and EU governments? I suppose they do not give a sh*t. After all, they are the same who do not give a sh*t about the thousands of women and girls injured and killed in Palestine by Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel)!

From Al Mayadeen.

Moving to Israel, Al Mayadeen quoted the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reporting on the price paid by Israelis in the war in Gaza and not only in monetary terms, with each individual “projected to lose 12,000 shekels in 2025” due to inflation, but also in terms of lives (“souls” in the citation below):

As the world celebrates the beginning of 2025, Israelis continue to bear the consequences of the war in the Gaza Strip in one way or another.

The price we will pay in the new year will be felt not only in our pockets but in our souls as well.

Only two weeks ago, a startling figure was revealed, showing that two million Israelis live below the poverty line, and many more are expected to fall below this tragic threshold in the new year.

Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant - from Al Mayadeen.

Meanwhile, Yoav Gallant, former Israeli Defense Minister and member of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) within Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, decided to resign from the Knesset, while maintaining his membership within the Likud party, whose principles and values he is still committed to, but criticizing government policies, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which quoted him as saying:

As on the battlefield, so too in public service, there are moments when you have to stop to assess the situation and choose the course of action.

My journey is not yet complete.

in a televised announcement, following which he “formally submitted his resignation letter to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana”, with Israeli media reports suggesting that “Gallant’s seat will likely be filled by Abed Afif, a Druze representative”. It is also worth reporting that, according to the same Al Mayadeen article, a couple of months ago (i.e. November 2024) the Israeli news site Walla! reported, citing sources within the Likud party, that Netanyahu was gathering evidence that Gallant was acting independently, so that he could declare Gallant a defector from the party, pressure him into resigning from the Knesset to prevent him from voting against him in the future and finally bar him from running in the next parliamentary elections.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem - from Al Mayadeen.

Moving to Lebanon, today Sheikh Naim Qassem, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, gave a speech commemorating Martyrs Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. A summary can be in this Al Mayadeen article. Here some highlights taken from Al Mayadeen Short News and from Al Manaar Live News (all emphasis mine):

Martyr Soleimani uncovered US' plans, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan, and its support for ISIS.

Martyr Soleimani also laid bare “Israel's” plans for regional occupation.

Martyr Soleimani succeeded in bringing the Palestinian cause back to the forefront through the confrontations in Palestine.

In the 2024 aggression, “Israel” paid a hefty price, as it was incapable of advancing more than a few hundred meters at the front; this is deterrence.

72 thousand Israeli soldiers failed, during the war, to invade Lebanon and remained within the border range of hundreds of meters.

Enemy was forced to request a ceasefire because of the Resistance; we accepted through the Lebanese government.

We shouldered unprecedented aggression and we were steadfast, subduing “Israel”. Making sacrifices is how we maintain our honor; the Resistance will go on.

Operation People of Might put an end toward “Israel's” ambitions for Lebanon.

What happened in Syria could have happened in Lebanon, and I believe that the Syrian people could have a future role in confronting “Israel”.

Resistance is our sole option to liberate our land and sovereignty and to support Palestine and righteousness in the face of the expansionist Israeli occupation.

The Resistance's leadership decides when and how to pick up arms, as well as which weapons to use.

There is no specific timetable that determines the Resistance's performance whether through the agreement or after the 60 days [of the ceasefire] are up.

UN Resolution 1701 obliges “Israel” to withdraw from South Lebanon, and we may run out of patience before the end of the 60 days.

Our patience is linked to when we deem the time to be right; it is the Resistance's leadership that decides whether to remain patient, initiate an attack, or respond.

The state, of which we are a part, has a responsibility to follow up with the mediators to curb “Israel's” actions and enforce the agreement.

The Resistance is strong and perfectly capable.

We have a high morale despite our losses and pain. At the end of the day, what matters is that our liberation project was not foiled.

Operation People of Might was a rebirth for the unconquerable Lebanon.

The Palestinian people are exceptional, and they and their Resistance are eternal.

Praise be to Yemen, which is economically disadvantaged but rich in its people, leadership, beliefs, and steadfastness as it faces off against "Israel" and the United States.

We are keen to elect a President on the condition that parliamentary blocs elect it in an open session of parliament.

We are working on nourishing unity and cooperation in order to develop our country.

Quite a few interesting statements, especially when he says that Hezbollah is running out of patience. I think they confirm my theory that Hezbollah may restart its attack against the Zionist state sooner rather than later (see my previous original article in the link below, in case you missed it), though they will probably wait for the end of the ceasefire, unless the IDF carries out very serious violations.

From Al Mayadeen.

On a final note, it is worth reporting that yesterday Majid Nili, Director General of Western Europe of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has summoned Italy's ambassador to Tehran, Paola Amadei, to protest the continued detention of Iranian citizen Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, a 38-year-old mechanical engineer held in Milan over allegations Iran rules out as baseless, as reported by Al Mayadeen and IRNA. In particular, Majid called Italy's compliance with the US request an act of “political and hostile” undermining international law and principles¹, including human rights norms. Majid was quoted as saying:

The Italian government should not allow the US to damage Tehran-Rome relations.

…but unfortunately Italy is a vassal state of the Outlaw US Empire and not only it will damage Tehran-Rome relations, but it will also put in danger Cecilia Sala’s life. If Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi is extradited to the Outlaw US Empire (the Italian court will decide on 15th January 2025), the Italian government can forget the repatriation of presstitute Cecilia Sala (please refer to my article in the link below for more background information - see also this article by Lorenzo Maria Pacini on the Strategic Culture Foundation website).

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1. Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi is charged with “conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws” and with “providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), IRGC”, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (source). The IRGC is considered a terrorist organization by the Outlaw US Empire, but, unlike HTS, not by the UN and the EU (as per Wikipedia), hence Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi’s arrest in Italy is unlawful according to international law, as there was/is no international arrest warrant, since he cannot be arrested outside US territory on the basis of US domestic law.