News - Yemen: Lebanese writer, strategic affairs expert, Mohammad Hazimeh, commented on the threats made by Yemen's President Mahdi al-Mashat to bring down F-35 aircraft, considering them part of the broader strategy of confrontation with the Zionist enemy.

The strategic analyst pointed out that President al-Mashat's statements are backed by precedents already carried out by Yemen. He noted that Yemen has achieved victory in two rounds against the Americans and forced US forces to retreat in the naval battle with Yemen.

Now, following President al-Mashat’s remarks, Mohammed Hazimeh stated that the world is watching to see the fate of the hostile Israeli aircraft. He believes that Netanyahu is now cornered in a tight spot, similar to what former US President Donald Trump experienced.

He emphasized that Yemen’s strategic equations have imposed themselves, as has the country's military stature and management of the battle. Yemen, he said, relies on and develops its own capabilities.

Hazimeh also stressed that Yemen’s victory has reduced Washington’s ability to impose its policy in the region and has negatively affected the American arms market, noting that the US is driven by its weapons industry and its goal of selling arms.

He said: “Yemen has moved from the phase of imposing an equation to the phase of solidifying an equation with an open horizon. The Zionist entity does not know the extent of Yemeni weaponry, nor does it know the capabilities of the Yemeni Armed Forces or how far Yemen's laboratories and manufacturing can go.”

He added that in the American colonial mindset, these weapons will not remain limited in effect to Yemen’s territory and frontlines, but will also impact America's role on other fronts, due to the size, role, and influence of this battle at this stage — describing the battle as a “power-mapping battle.”

Hazimeh believes that the development of armed capabilities is, in itself, a strategy for achieving victory and constitutes a blow to the enemy, who does not know the limits of the Yemeni Armed Forces’ strength.

He pointed out that in previous battles with the Americans, the Zionists, the Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded in taking fourth-generation aircraft out of the fight, which was a blow to Israel.

Earlier Yemen's President Mahdi al-Mashat reaffirmed that Yemen will not retreat from its decision to support Gaza until the aggression ceases and the blockade is lifted.

During his visit on Wednesday to Sana’a International Airport after been targeted by a Zionist aggression, President al-Mashat confirmed that Yemen’s air defenses are capable of handling F-35 fighter jets, stating "what had prevented us from acting before was their hiding near civilian aviation, which will now force us to close navigation in their airspace so that our defenses can engage them effectively.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, the Yemeni Armed Forces have launched a series of strategic military operations—including missile and drone strikes as well as naval and aerial blockades—targeting Israeli-linked infrastructure and shipping routes.

What began with the disruption of maritime traffic in the Red Sea soon evolved into more expansive campaigns, affecting key Israeli economic hubs such as the port of Eilat and Lod Airport.

These operations form part of Yemen’s declared policy of pressuring Israel to end its war on Gaza and lift the siege. The attacks have triggered widespread disruptions in international shipping, tourism, and air travel, with dozens of global airlines suspending operations to and from Israeli airports.