Israel ‘too cowardly’ to respond to Iran’s retaliatory strikes: Yemen’s Ansarullah

A ranking official of Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement says Israel is “too cowardly” to respond to Iran’s daring strikes on the occupied territories last month, which were carried out in retaliation for the regime’s earlier aggression on the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic premises in Syria.

Nasr al-Din Amer, the deputy head of Ansarullah’s press service, made the statement in an exclusive interview with Russia's RT news channel while asked whether there was a chance that Israel would attack Iran and a full-scale war would begin.

“Israel today is a criminal and aggressive entity that resorts to terrorist methods. Currently, it is too cowardly to respond to the Islamic Republic in full measure. However, caution is still necessary,” Amer said.

The Ansarullah official underlined that Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Israel with missiles and drones were effective and destroyed the occupying regime’s “prestige.”

“It had a considerable impact on the course of events and destroyed Israel’s prestige,” he said. “Iran’s attack was effective, powerful, and historic. Moreover, self-defense is the legitimate right of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This step has demonstrated Tehran’s great support for the oppressed Palestinian people.”

In a multi-pronged attack, dubbed Operation True Promise, Iran’s armed forces launched late on April 13 dozens of drones and missiles at the occupied territories in response to the regime's aggression on the Iranian diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1.

The Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus had killed two generals of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, as well as five of their accompanying officers.

The Israeli regime's aggression on the Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria drew widespread condemnation from the international community, with Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations saying in a statement that Tehran’s response to Israeli aggression was a “legitimate defense” in accordance with the UN Charter.

Op. True Promise: IRGC general says Iran used only 20% of what it prepared that night to punish Israel

The IRGC’s Aerospace Division commander says Iran employed only 20% of its available military resources to punish Israel during its last month’s Operation True Promise.

Yemen’s Ansarullah ‘ready’ for any turn of events

Elsewhere in his interview with RT, Amer pointed to Yemen’s unwavering support for Palestinians by attacking Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea since the Israeli regime started its Western-backed genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip last October.

“Our operations consist of two goals; the first one is to support the oppressed Palestinian people by blocking Israeli ships or vessels heading to the ports of occupied Palestine. The second goal of our operations is to respond to US and British aggression against our country,” the Ansarullah official said.

“We do this by blocking US and British navigation in the Red Sea. Through these operations, we strive, first of all, to stop the aggression in Gaza and lift the blockade imposed on it, and, secondly, to defend Yemen’s sovereignty. And, God willing, we will continue this work,” he added.

Amer also responded positively when queried whether the Yemeni resistance movement was capable of confronting a potentially large-scale war with Israel and the West.

“Today, we are fighting against Western forces that support Israel and possess more advanced, modern technologies. Nevertheless, they have not been able to stop our operations in the Red Sea,” he said.

“We have quite a lot of determination and perseverance. We are also supported by the people and possess weapons that we have developed over the years. We can resist any opponent and react to any turn of events. We never submit or give up. Our doctrine is resistance until complete victory,” he added.

The Israeli war, which was launched following al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation by Gaza-based resistance groups, has so far killed at least 34,622 people, most of them women and children.

Over 77,700 Palestinians have also sustained injuries in the barbaric aggression, while thousands of others remain unaccounted for.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk