News - Yemen: Senior military expert Brigadier General Omar Mar’boun confirmed that Yemen’s Air Defenses forces achieved a significant operational milestone by forcing several Israeli aircraft to leave Yemeni airspace, preventing them from carrying out planned bombing missions.

Speaking on Sunday, Mar’boun emphasized that the development of Yemen’s Air Defenses capabilities represents a major turning point in the ongoing confrontation, reflecting a high level of expertise and field preparedness. 

He noted that drones are now effectively banned from Yemeni skies due to the vigilance and readiness of air defense units.

“This was not the first attempt by enemy aircraft to breach our airspace,” he said. “However, this fourth attempt saw the hostile aircraft forced to maneuver and withdraw under defensive fire, demonstrating the advanced operational maturity of Yemen’s forces.”

Mar’boun highlighted that the Israeli enemy, with coordination and support from the US, launched strikes targeting vital infrastructure in Sana’a, including a power station and an oil distribution facility south of the capital, resulting in two deaths and 35 injuries, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

He described the aggression as blatant escalation aimed at pressuring Yemen and deterring it from supporting the Palestinian resistance. However, he stressed that Yemenis’ popular and official response clearly demonstrates that the country will not remain passive in the face of the bloodshed in Gaza.

He also underscored that Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” represented a major strategic surprise in the history of the conflict with the Israeli entity. Yemen’s support for the operation added an unexpected dimension to enemy calculations, which did not anticipate Yemen’s active and effective involvement.

He pointed out that the repercussions of these developments include the erosion of four traditional pillars of Israeli military superiority: internal distrust, loss of media control, unrest within some European governments, and a decline in strategic deterrence capability, accelerating the deterioration of Israeli national security.

Finally, General Mar’boun emphasized that the situation in Yemen represents a resistance model rooted in firm ideology and strong will, laying the foundation for potential regional transformations, amid a lack of effective official Arab and Islamic positions and a stagnating popular response due to accumulated frustrations.

The airstrikes on Sana’a came a day after Israeli media reported growing concern over Yemen’s advancing missile capabilities. Israeli outlets cited air force sources saying Yemen may have used a multiple-warhead ballistic missile for the first time, a development that could challenge Israel’s missile defense systems.

Since late 2023, Yemen has intensified operations in response to the Israeli enemy’s war on Gaza, combining a naval blockade of Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with long-range missile and drone strikes deep inside occupied territories. The latest escalation, including hypersonic and suspected multiple-warhead missiles, has amplified pressure on Israel’s security establishment and provoked retaliatory strikes on Yemen.