The Yemeni challenge to the Zionists

Ansar Allah keeps targeting Israel and threatening the Outlaw US Empire + other news and updates from the Middle East

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Launch of a Palestine 2 missile from Yemen - from Al Mayadeen.

Following the recent long-distance fire exchange between Israel and Yemen (see here), Israeli media have been quite critical towards the security and military leadership of Israel. In particular the Israeli newspaper Maariv, quoted in this Al Mayadeen article, described Yemen as “not an ordinary enemy” and explained that the fact that the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) are dispersed across the country and the thousands of kilometres separating Israel and Yemen complicate confrontations with Ansar Allah, not to mention the YAF’s military capabilities and the Israeli failures in intercepting Yemeni ballistic missiles, though apparently they intercepted one last night, as reported in this other Al Mayadeen article, which also highlights that more than 20 Israeli were wounded while rushing to the shelters.

The Israeli i24NEWS media outlet, also quoted by Al Mayadeen, reported that Little Satan (a.k.a. Israel) will have to cooperate with Great Satan (a.k.a. the Outlaw US Empire) to deal with Ansar Allah, also taking into account the failure of Saudi Arabia to defeat it in the war it waged against the Houthis in the previous years. i24NEWS revealed an Israeli plan to confront Yemen, encompassing 4 main areas:

1. Targeting leadership, as they have done with Hezbollah and Hamas,

2. destroying the weapons production system,

3. damaging the supply chain,

4. and harming Yemen's national infrastructure, as the Zionist terrorists are already doing, supported by the USAF (United States Air Force) and British RAF (Royal Air Force).

However, while US and UK have stepped up their military operations against Yemen, no significant result has been achieved either in unblocking the Houthis’ embargo in the Red Sea or in deterring their missile and drone attacks against Israel. Actually, as I reported in my article in the link below, the Outlaw US Empire even suffered an embarrassing humiliation, as a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea by either friendly or enemy fire!

In fact, the YAF is continuing its attacks against Israel undeterred, as Al Mayadeen and Saba News Agency reported yesterday (Monday 23rd December 2024), when the YAF Unmanned Air Force carried out two military operations with Yaffa drones in support of Palestinian resistance in Gaza: one targeting a military target in Ashkelon and the other targeting another military target in Jaffa (Tel Aviv), with the YAF reiterating that these operations would continue until the Zionist aggression on Gaza ceases and the blockade is lifted. And this afternoon both Al Mayadeen and Saba News Agency reported the launch of another Palestine 2 ballistic missile against a military target in Jaffa (Tel Aviv), while Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, addressed first the Saudis asking them to…

Reason with the Americans so they do not target Yemen.

If the Americans attack Yemen, we will strike American interests in the Middle East, and there will be no red lines for us.

…and then the Americans directly:

You brought a fourth aircraft carrier, while three left under Yemeni fire yesterday. If it doesn’t leave, it will become an easy target for our forces.

…as reported by Al Maydeen in its Short News (all emphasis mine).

It is also worth reporting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commended the Yemenis at the 14th national conference of political officials from the Armed Forces, as per Al Mayadeen:

Even when they (Yemenis) are under the most severe bombardment by the American-Zionist coalition, Yemenis target the heart of the occupied territories with advanced missiles they have produced.

From Al Mayadeen.

On the other hand, Israeli Reserve Brigadier General Eran Ortal was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying to the Israeli newspaper Davar (emphasis mine):

We are at the beginning of a new era that requires us to rethink Israel’s policy and the army’s strategy to confront a group of threats.

The deeper Sanaa gets into the battle against Israel, the stronger they become on several levels.

They have managed to cause serious damage to the Egyptian economy, paralyze the port of Eilat, while resuming escalations.

There has been talk of a confrontation with Iran for twenty years, but the army has not developed sufficient capabilities to wage war at a distance of more than a thousand kilometers.

They, like Hamas, are a type of enemy that can only be defeated on the ground. Their regime cannot be overthrown through aerial bombardment. They must be fought on the ground, and Israel will not do that.

From Al Mayadeen.

At the same time, Israel is trying to have Ansar Allah designated as a terrorist organization by European countries, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which quoted Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar as saying that the Yemenis…

pose a threat not only to Israel but also to the region and the entire world.
The first and most basic thing to do is to designate them as a terrorist organization.

What a hypocrite! They are bombing the hell out of Gaza and yet they want to have the Houthis designated as terrorists… utterly disgusting!

Currently only 8 countries (the Outlaw US Empire, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Israel) regard Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization.

Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Benny Gantz - from Al Mayadeen.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Israeli occupation's National Unity party Benny Gantz have been trading accusations over captive negotiations, with the latter accusing the former of “sabotaging negotiations at this sensitive time”. Netanyahu’s office responded with the following statement, as quoted by Al Mayadeen:

It’s no coincidence that since Gantz left the government for internal political reasons, Netanyahu has achieved several accomplishments, including directly targeting Iran.

Those who do not contribute to the national effort should at least not harm it.

…to which Gant’z office replied with:

Netanyahu, stop being a submissive coward. You feared breaking up the coalition, and only Gantz's insistence has brought back over 100 hostages so far.

You were too scared to even launch a maneuver in Gaza, but Gantz was the one who pushed for its execution.

But you did it when Gantz pressured you, and you know very well that had you not been forced into it, you would have never taken that step.

We won’t allow you to do that again when a real deal is on the table.

Al Maydeen also reported about the possibility of Herzi Halevi, Chief of General Staff of Israel “Defense” Forces (IDF), retiring “from his position at the end of February, one month after the investigations into the events of 7 October 2023 are concluded”, quoting Anadolu Agency and an anonymous Israeli official cited by Maariv. However, both the Ministry of Security and the Israeli military dismissed such rumours.

Abu Obeida, military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades - from Al Mayadeen.

Getting back to the Israeli captives held by Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions, Al Mayadeen quoted Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, as saying (emphasis mine):

The enemy conceals its true losses and the dire state of its soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip to preserve the image of its army.

The genocide and ethnic cleansing targeting innocent civilians in the northern Gaza Strip aim to cover up the Zionist army’s scandals and disgrace.

The fate of some enemy captives is tied to the occupation army’s ability to advance hundreds of meters in certain areas under assault.

And yesterday the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, the al-Quds Brigades, released the following video titled “There will be no one left to tell the tale... Time is running out”, warning of the consequences of the delay in establishing a captive and ceasefire agreement:

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IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami - from Al Mayaden.

Linking up to the recent speech by the Iranian Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei (see my previous original article), the Chief Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Hossein Salami, issued the following statements yesterday, as reported by IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) and Al Mayadeen:

Every pillar of the Resistance Front operates on its own ground, driven by its own motives, according to its national interests and local capabilities, without relying on others.

We share the same ideals; our beliefs and convictions align with those of the Lebanese and Yemenis. Our enemies are common, yet each resistance movement operates based on its own interests within its land.

Everyone fights with their own capabilities. No one relies on anyone else. While we provide the Resistance Front with maximum spiritual and political support, they procure and produce their own weapons, just as we do.

There is no power in the world capable of overcoming the IRGC. The IRGC never abandons the field and knows that neglecting the enemy could lead to a sudden attack from them.

Our enemies must recognize the magnitude of this power; a single misstep could be their last.

National Aerospace Park of the Revolution Guard, Tehran, Iran - from Al Mayadeen.

And indeed someone in Israel does recognize the magnitude of power of Iran - Avi Ashkenazi, North and Military Affairs correspondent for Maariv, was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying (emphasis mine):

Iran remains a major power, with hundreds of thousands of missiles, an economy many times larger than Israel's, and vast resources including minerals, natural gas, and oil.

At the Mossad, there was anger yesterday over leaks from political reporters who claimed that the Mossad chief had recommended launching a campaign against Iran [see this Ynet article]. In Barnea's circle, they refused to confirm these reports, stating that the publications were not entirely accurate.

Not underestimating the Iranians, even when they are wounded. I assume Barnea was referring to an operational plan that could damage the Iranians. I believe that's what he meant.

Ultimately, Israel will back down from going to war with Iran.

…though I would not be as optimistic as Avi Ashkenazi.

From Al Mayadeen.

In the meantime, the IDF is combing Mount Hermon in Syria, “establishing a new post overlooking Damascus' southwestern countryside” and seizing “military equipment in the area”, as reported by Al Mayadeen, which also quoted a local source saying that “Israeli tanks and armored patrols infiltrated the al-Hamidiyah axis in the countryside of Quneitra towards the provincial center in the town of al-Baath, southwest of Syria, coinciding with inspection campaigns carried out by Israeli forces, which targeted some homes and farms in the villages of the central countryside”.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly Abu Mohammad al-Julani, and British officials - from Sky News.

Speaking of Syria, we all know that it is now ruled by “moderate rebels”, as the terrorists who overthrew Bashar al-Assad are called by Western mainstream media (MSM), which have also shown us photos of HTS¹ leader Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, wearing a suit and meeting with Western officials - see for instance the photo above of the meeting with British officials. However, regardless of narrative and propaganda spun by Western MSM, things are quite different on the ground: in fact, yesterday Al Mayadeen reported that, despite reassurances from the new regime, Christian leaders in Syria are urging their communities to minimize Christmas celebrations, especially following recent tensions in Hama, where “moderate rebels” vandalized a cemetery and attempted to desecrate religious symbols, as you can see in the tweet below:

From X (formerly Twitter).

…while in Damascus “residents of Bab Touma, a historically Christian district, reported heightened anxiety after vehicles patrolled the area playing Islamist songs”, not to mention threatening messages against Christians on display on armoured vehicles, such as the one in the tweet below:

From X (formerly Twitter).

Bishop Andrew Bahhi of St. George's Syriac Orthodox Church was quoted by Al Mayadeen as saying:

The community is watching to see if the groups currently in power are genuinely committed to establishing a civil society that offers equal opportunities for all.

However, his optimism clashes with the harsh reality:

From X (formerly Twitter).

A Christmas tree was burnt in the town of Suqaylabiyah, near Hama in central Syria, as reported today by Al Mayadeen, according to which hundreds of demonstrators gathered this morning in several neighbourhoods of Damascus, chanting “We demand the rights of Christians!” and marching towards the Orthodox Patriarchate in the Bab Sharqi district of Damascus, with one protester saying:

If we're not allowed to live our Christian faith in our country, as we used to, then we don't belong here anymore.

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P.S.: I would like to wish you a “Merry” Christmas, but, to be honest, I myself struggle to be merry, given what’s happening around the world. So, I will wish you a Peaceful Christmas, instead.

1. Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham