The spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree giving a press conference.
The two resistance movements launched their attacks after Israeli warplanes killed hundreds of Palestinians in the span of a few days.
Yemen’s Ansar Allah announced on Thursday, March 19 that its armed forces targeted Ben Gurion Airport with a Palestine 2 hypersonic missile, affirming that the operation “successfully achieved its objective.”
On Friday, March 21, Ansar Allah announced that its forces carried out yet another strategic operation, targeting an Israeli military site south of the occupied city of Jaffa. The movement reaffirmed that its operations, alongside the blockade on Israeli navigation, would continue until Israel halts the aggression against Gaza and lifts the siege on the war-torn enclave.
Meanwhile, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv on Thursday, March 20, and the coastal city of Ashkelon on Friday, March 21. The rockets and missiles launched from Yemen and Gaza reportedly disrupted flights at Ben Gurion airport.
In the early hours of Saturday, March 22, Ansar Allah announced the targeting of Ben Gurion Airport for the second time within 48 hours, as well as a number of warships affiliated with the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman.
Ansar Allah further warned all airlines that “the so-called Ben Gurion Airport has become unsafe for air traffic and will remain so until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.”
Both Ansar Allah and Hamas confirmed in statements that their attacks on the cities occupied by Israel were carried out in retaliation for Israel’s renewed genocidal aggression on Gaza that has left over 700 people dead and more than 1000 injured since Tuesday, March 18.
With the toll of the renewed aggression, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the Gaza strip since October 2023 has surpassed 49,617.
Yemen’s attacks on Tel Aviv prove that Gaza is not alone: says Abu Obaida
The spokesperson of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Obaida, issued a statement via his Telegram channel on Thursday, praising Ansar Allah for their continuous support to the people of Gaza.
“We salute our loyal brothers in Yemen for their honorable stance and direct support for their brothers and sisters in Gaza, despite the heavy price they pay for their unwavering commitment to Al-Aqsa and Palestine,” Abu Obaida wrote.
“Today, Yemeni missiles intersected with those from Gaza in the skies over Tel Aviv, reaffirming that Gaza is not alone.” He added.
Furthermore, Al-Qassam’s spokesperson urged the free people of the Arab and Islamic nations “to engage in the battle to defend Al-Aqsa and to continue their support for Gaza, to break the back of the criminal zionist enemy and force it to halt its aggression.”
Hamas reaffirms that ceasefire talks are underway
Although Al-Qassam launched retaliatory attacks on Israel, Hamas reaffirmed on Thursday that it is still committed to the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
“Talks are underway with mediators to stop the aggression against our people and pressure the (Israeli) occupation to adhere to the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas spokesman Abdul Latif al-Qanou said in a statement.
“We are working with mediators to permanently spare our people war and to ensure the occupation’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” Al-Qanou added.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAUK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
“As Israel returns to its bombardment of Gaza, hundreds more lives have been lost. Families, children, entire communities – gone in an instant. This is horrific. Each of these lives mattered. Each of these deaths was preventable.
“The UK cannot remain complicit while bombs rain down on civilians. The government must act now: we must use all diplomatic means necessary to secure an immediate ceasefire and suspend all arms exports to the Israeli military including components of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which evidence suggests have been used in ways that violate international law and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. There can be no justification for continuing to supply arms while international law is being violated and humanitarian catastrophe unfolds.
“The people of Gaza are not only facing bombardment – they are also being starved. The blockade is preventing essential food, water, and medical aid from reaching those in desperate need. The UK government must demand the full and immediate flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and apply real diplomatic pressure to make that happen.
“We also repeat our call for the release of the hostages still held in Gaza. The families of those hostages deserve to see their loved ones return home.
“For too long, the UK has failed to take the necessary steps towards justice and peace. We must formally recognise the State of Palestine – a vital step towards a future based on equality, dignity, and the rule of law.
“The cycle of violence will not end without justice. There must be accountability for war crimes, an end to the occupation, and a real commitment to peace. The UK government must make a stronger stand now, before more lives are lost.”
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAUK Foreign Minister David Lammy confirms that UK government and military are active participants in Israel’s genocides and that the F-35 parts that they suspended from supplying to Israel are instead simply diverted via the United States. He says see https://youtu.be/QILgUHrdWRE
Israel resumed its genocidal violence against the people of Gaza a day before the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was set to stand trial for corruption and face rallies against his move to dismiss the Shin Bet chief.
Israel resumed its genocidal aggression on Gaza in the early hours of Tuesday, March 18, with a series of airstrikes that killed over 400 Palestinians, many of them women and children. Hundreds more were injured.
Shortly after the attacks were launched, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Israel consulted the United States on its intention to launch aerial attacks on the besieged enclave.
“As President Trump has made it clear – Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” Leavitt emphasized.
Israel determined to continue its genocide
Briefly after the deadly assaults took place in Gaza, Israeli officials delivered statements that confirmed Israel’s intention to proceed with the genocide indefinitely.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded speech on Tuesday that the airstrikes, which targeted Gaza, are “only the beginning” and that all ceasefire talks going forward will be held “under fire”.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that if Hamas does not release all Israeli captives, “blows will only increase and intensify”.
The resumption of the genocide came after Israel obstructed negotiations on the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and prisoners for captives swap deal. It also followed more than two weeks of Israel’s full blockade on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
It’s worth noting that Israel reportedly committed hundreds of violations of the ceasefire agreement in its first phase, which included:
killing civilians
home demolitions
land bulldozing
preventing displaced persons from returning to their home regions
military advances beyond the agreed-upon withdrawal lines
obstructing reconstruction
airspace violations
delaying prisoners’ releases
Despite these violations, Hamas continued to accelerate their end of the agreement, releasing more captives than promised in an effort to begin second-phase negotiations in good faith.
Reactions to the resumption of the war
All major Palestinian factions have categorically condemned Israel’s unilateral violation of the ceasefire deal and demanded that the deal’s guarantors and mediators, as well as the rest of the international community take immediate action to stop the return to genocide.
Hamas
For its part, Hamas vehemently condemned Israel’s actions and accused the Trump administration of being complicit in Israel’s resumption of the genocide in Gaza. “The US administration’s admission that it was informed in advance of the Zionist aggression confirms its direct complicity in the war of extermination against our people,” it said in a statement.
“This admission once again reveals America’s blatant complicity and bias towards the occupation, and exposes the falsity of its claims about its commitment to calm,” Hamas added.
“With its unlimited political and military support for the occupation, Washington bears full responsibility for the massacres and killing of women and children in Gaza,” the movement stressed, calling upon the international community to take urgent action “to hold the occupation and its supporters accountable for these crimes against humanity.”
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) held the US accountable as well, labelling it as a partner in the massacres committed by Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Islamic Jihad
For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement confirmed that “the renewed aggression will neither give Israel the upper hand over the resistance nor extricate Netanyahu and his regime from the crises they are escaping from. Rather, it will further weaken them and accumulate more failures, leaving them humiliated and submissive.”
Ansar Allah
The Supreme Political Council of Ansar Allah in Yemen issued a statement holding Israel and the US “fully responsible for violating the ceasefire agreement, thwarting all efforts to move to the second phase, remilitarizing the seas, and escalating tensions in the region.”
The council further warned the two countries “to bear the consequences and repercussions, no matter how severe.”
Ansar Allah’s response was not limited to issuing a statement, as the armed forces affiliated with the movement targeted Israel’s Nevatim airbase in the southern occupied territories on Tuesday, using a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile.
Hezbollah
Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah issued a statement, denouncing the “US full partnership” and the “shameful silence” of the international community to the decision of “Netanyahu’s terrorist government to turn against the ceasefire and resume the war.”
The Lebanese resistance group pointed out that the renewed aggression “confirms that this rogue entity and the US administration do not respect any commitments and agreements and that they are two sides of the same coin that thirsts for blood and knows only the rhetoric of killing and destruction.”
International condemnation
A number of countries also condemned the resumption of the aggression, or expressed their concern about the repercussions of the escalation in the region, including: China, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Türkiye, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and Australia.
The United Nations, including Secretary-General António Guterres, sharply condemned Israel’s aggression, with Guterres saying he was “outraged” by the airstrikes.
People’s movements and organizations across the globe that have been mobilizing for the past 16 months against Israel’s genocide in Gaza also responded to Israel’s attacks and called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The International Peoples’ Assembly (IPA) condemned that, “The US has directly supported Israel’s renewed aggression, offering unlimited political and military backing while pushing for further escalation with inflammatory rhetoric and threats. This aggression extends beyond Palestine, with attacks on Yemen, fueling regional tensions and conflict. Meanwhile, the international community remains silent and fails to act on these escalating violations.“ The IPA called for people across the world to mobilize from March 18 to 30 “to reject the escalation of Zionist aggression on the people of Gaza and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people”.
On March 18, people in major cities in the United States, Morocco, Italy, and other countries, were already on the streets demanding an arms embargo on Israel and a return to the ceasefire.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad mourn leaders, including IJ spokesperson Abu Hamza
Hamas announced in a statement on Tuesday that a number of its governmental leaders were killed in the Israeli attacks across the war-torn strip.
The movement confirmed in a press statement that among those assassinated were the Head of Government Issam al-Dallis, Deputy Minister of Justice Ahmed al-Hitta, Deputy Minister of Interior Major General Mahmoud Abu Wafa, and Director General of the Internal Security Service Major General Bahjat Abu Sultan.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad movement announced the assassination of its iconic masked spokesperson and leader, Naji Abu Seif, who was long known by his nom de guerre Abu Hamza.
Naji Abu Seif aka Abu Hamza was killed in Israeli airstrikes on March 18.
Mourning Abu Hamza, the movement said in a statement: “The martyred spokesperson was known as a voice of the resistance, fearing no reproach in his devotion to Allah, eloquent in his speech, and courageous in his heroic positions in defense of the resistance and the rights of our people, never wavering in his stance.”
Netanyahu resumed the war to evade his own political crisis
Several analysts suggest that Netanyahu resorted to resuming the war on Gaza to escape from an imminent political impasse, especially as he was set to testify in his corruption trial on Tuesday.
Taking the resumption of the war as a pretext, Netanyahu submitted a delay request to the concerned court saying: “Hours ago, the IDF commenced a military operation in the Gaza Strip. This morning at 11, an urgent security consultation will take place that will include the prime minister, defense minister and heads of the IDF security apparatus.”
Some consider the war option was also a savior for Netanyahu, as mass demonstrations were planned to take place in Jerusalem during the week to protest his declared intention to fire the chief of the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) Ronen Bar.
