TEHRAN – The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has said he is ready to forge close cooperation with the Yemeni National Army.
“The Revolutionary Guards announces full readiness to strengthen spiritual and strategic ties with the Yemeni Armed Forces in the fight against global hegemony and international Zionism,” Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour said in a message to Yemeni Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Youssef Hassan al-Madani.
The Supreme Commander of Iran also expressed condolences over the martyrdom of General Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Ghamari, General al-Madani’s predecessor.
He said the late general’s enduring struggle to defend Yemen’s dignity and territorial integrity and successfully confront Israel will remain in the history of Yemeni fighters.
Following the military invasion of Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition in 2015, the Ansarullah Movement and the People’s Committees initially took control of various areas of Yemen and confronted the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and coalition forces. Subsequently, Ansarullah and popular forces, in cooperation with the Yemeni army, launched numerous operations against Saudi Arabia. As coalition attacks intensified, Ansarullah used ballistic missiles against Saudi Arabia to thwart coalition attacks.
Ansarullah remains a popular organization in Yemen, as it has stood up to Israeli aggression and was able to develop missiles and ammunition domestically despite the blockade.
The Shiite Ansarullah has close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran due to ideological commonalities.
Iran supports Ansarullah as part of the resistance front, but says it has not given them any instructions, stressing that Ansarullah makes decisions and acts independently.
Recently, Yemen’s leader Ansarullah praised Iran for its unwavering support and sacrifices in defense of the Palestinian cause, citing the martyrdom of the commander and the recent US-Israeli military invasion of the country.
Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised address that Iran has sacrificed commanders, including Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, in the process of supporting the Palestinian cause.
General Soleimani, an international hero and a central figure in the Axis of Resistance, was assassinated in Baghdad on January 3, 2020 in a drone strike authorized by US President Donald Trump.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran acted in support and defense of this front with remarkable fortitude in the face of all challenges and pressures that culminated in war,” the Houthis said, referring to the US-Israeli invasion of the country in June.
He stressed that Israel “has suffered a great and painful blow with its ignominious defeat in the 12-day war with Iran.”
From June 13 to June 24, Israel and the United States carried out deadly acts of aggression against Iran, which were halted after the Islamic Republic’s successful retaliatory operations. The Houthis warned that the United States, complicit in all the crimes of the Israeli and Zionist regimes, “remains a danger” to the region.
Marking the first anniversary of the martyrdom of prominent Palestinian leader Yahya Sinwar, Al Houthi described him as “a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness and sacrifice in the path of God” and whose legacy of struggle and consciousness “will continue to inspire generations.”