‘Failed Aggression’: Ansarallah Denies Israeli Claims, Vows Response to Strikes on Sanaa

August 28, 2025 News
Israel bombed the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Mahdi al-Mashat says Israeli claims of assassinations are “fake news,” stressing that the strikes hit civilians, not military leaders.

Ansarallah officials have denied Israeli media reports that Thursday’s airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa targeted senior leaders of the movement, insisting that the claims are “fake news” and that the raids were a failure.

Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Supreme Political Council, described the attacks as “failed aggression,” asserting that Israel’s narrative was fabricated to conceal its inability to achieve its goals. 

He vowed retaliation, saying: “Our long arm will teach them the necessary lesson.” 

Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he warned: “You are dragging the Zionist entity to its end, and you have entered a challenge with a people whose struggle you are not equal to. We have foiled your conspiracies despite you, so wail as you wish. Your strikes will not shake a hair on the head of even the smallest of our children.”

Nasr al-Din Amer, an Ansarallah spokesperson, told Al-Jazeera that reports of leaders being targeted were false, describing the Israeli account as “confused.” 

He emphasized that the strikes hit residential areas, not military leadership, and added that Ansarallah’s operations in support of Gaza would continue. A military source within the group confirmed that no senior officials were harmed.

Israeli Claims

In contrast, the Israeli military claimed its air force had launched a “precise attack” on what it described as an Ansarallah military site. 

The army statement framed the operation as part of its ongoing effort to eliminate threats to Israel, accusing Ansarallah of acting “aggressively, with Iranian guidance and funding” to destabilize the region and disrupt navigation.

Israeli media outlets went further, reporting that the air raids targeted a meeting of senior Ansarallah military officials, including the Chief of Staff. 

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority characterized the strike as “exceptional and significant,” while Channel 12 and Channel 14 said multiple leaders were present at the site. Army Radio even claimed that the Ansarallah Chief of Staff was among those targeted.

According to these reports, the assassination plan was approved earlier in the week by Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and the army command, with Prime Minister Netanyahu informed of the details. 

The attack was initially scheduled for last Sunday but was postponed due to what Israeli sources described as inadequate intelligence. Some outlets also reported that the Israeli Navy took part in the operation.

Explosions in the Capital

Yemeni media reported that 10 consecutive explosions rocked Sanaa, including in the Jabal Attan area west of the city. Images circulating on social media showed thick columns of smoke rising over residential neighborhoods. 

The strikes came hours after Israel claimed it had intercepted two drones launched from Yemen. 

They also followed raids on Sunday that targeted facilities in Sanaa, causing casualties. 

Despite repeated Israeli attacks, Ansarallah forces have continued to launch missile and drone operations against Israel in support for the Palestinian people under siege in Gaza.

(PC, AJA, Yemeni Media)

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