Iran lauds Yemen’s ‘honorable resistance’ as Sana’a vows to maintain pressure on Israel 

TEHRAN – Footage from Sana’a, the Yemeni capital, shows civilians fleeing a large explosion caused by airstrikes in the city center Saturday night.

Though the scenes are likely shocking to outside observers, they represent a grim normality for Yemenis, who have endured a Saudi-led coalition war since 2015 and regular U.S. and UK airstrikes since last year.

Saturday’s attacks were carried out by Washington which claimed to have targeted a missile storage facility and a “command-and-control” site in the middle of the capital. The only reported casualty so far is a fighter jet downed over the Red Sea, which the Pentagon attributed to “friendly fire”. 

“These attacks will have no impact on our stance,” A male citizen in his 20s told local Yemeni media the next morning. “We will continue to support our brothers and sisters in Palestine. I have no right to complain about last night’s attacks when civilians are being butchered in Gaza every day. This is not how a Muslim should act.”  

Yemeni armed forces have been carrying out numerous operations in support of Palestinians since Israel began its ongoing war in Gaza in October of 2023. Yemen’s help was initially limited to operations in the Red Sea, where it has been targeting Israeli-owned or Israeli-bound ships in a direct response to Israel’s full siege of Gaza. The Israeli Port of Eilat remains deserted as a result of the Red Sea attacks.

The Ansarullah movement in Yemen gradually upped the scale and impact of its offensives, moving towards targeting military sites inside the occupied territories. Its latest operation taking place in the early hours of Saturday, laid bare the limits of the regime’s long talked-up defense systems. The Israeli military acknowledged that it was unable to intercept the Yemeni ballistic missiles launched in the attack, confirming two were fired. 16 Israelis were injured on Saturday, according to regime-controlled

‘Yemen observes strategic resistance against Israel’

Ansarullah’s operations in solidarity with Palestine have garnered immense support among the Yemeni population. Almost every week, millions of people gather in major cities across the country to express their commitment to the Palestinian cause.

In an interview on Iran’s national television, Yemen’s Ambassador to Tehran, Ibrahim Mohammed al-Dailami, delivered a powerful message about Yemen’s unwavering support for Palestine and its strategic resistance against the Zionist regime.

Ambassador al-Dailami said he believes Israel will not be able to sway Yemen’s unwavering resolve: “Yemen, as the main arena of the Resistance Axis, which confronts the Zionist and American plan and stands against the aggression of the Zionist regime against our nation’s children in Palestine, believes that the Zionist regime cannot counter Yemeni tactics.”

He also addressed the broader implications of Yemen’s resistance, noting that the Zionist regime seeks to attract Western support to bolster its defense systems and military capabilities. “The Zionist regime now wants to invoke their sympathy to support itself, which indicates that the Zionist regime cannot support itself alone and must garner the backing of the West and America,” he remarked.

The envoy concluded by reiterating Yemen’s commitment to its core objective: forcing an end to Zionist aggression and lifting the siege on Gaza. He emphasized this as a fundamental goal of both Yemen and the broader Axis of Resistance. 

‘West’s ultimate goal is to weaken Islamic nations’

In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the state of bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region with his Yemeni counterpart, Jamal Ahmad Ali Amer. 

During their call, Araghchi condemned the attacks by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Zionist regime on Yemen. He stressed that these blatant violations of international law by the U.S. are executed on behalf of the Zionist regime as part of a joint strategy to weaken Islamic countries and dominate the region.

“Despite all its crimes and aggressions, and the limitless support it receives from the United States and other Western countries, particularly the U.S., the Zionist regime has not been able to achieve its evil goals,” Araghchi stated, expressing his appreciation for the honorable resistance and support of the Yemeni people for the oppressed people of Palestine.

Yemen’s Amer provided an update on the latest developments in Yemen and expressed his gratitude for Iran’s support. He acknowledged the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran in standing with the Yemeni government and people against enemy aggressions.

“The efforts of the United States and Israel are aimed at dominating the region. The great Islamic countries and their people must use their immense capacities to prevent these ambitions from being realized,” Amer added.