The Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) in Yemen announced that it has launched a series of “precision” missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks in response to Israel’s intensive overnight airstrikes across the country, codenamed “Operation Black Flag.”

A statement released by the Houthis declared, “In response to these attacks and as part of our support for the oppressed Palestinian people, the Missile Force and Air Force carried out a joint military operation using a total of 11 missiles and UAVs.”

The statement specified that ballistic missiles targeted Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the Port of Ashdod, and a power plant in Ashkelon, while the Port of Eilat was struck by eight UAVs.

The Houthis also reported that they engaged Israeli warplanes with domestically produced air defense systems, “forcing some enemy warplanes to withdraw from Yemeni airspace before they could carry out their attacks.”

Following the Israeli strikes, the Houthis announced early in the morning that they had entered a state of “the highest level of military readiness.” The announcement included the following remarks:

“The Yemeni Armed Forces assure our people and the free people of our nation: We are fully prepared to confront the aggressors with all our might. These attacks will neither intimidate us nor weaken our military capabilities. Our support operations for Gaza and Palestine will continue at full speed, and we will protect our country and our people, with God’s permission.”

Approximately two hours later, the Israeli military claimed that two ballistic missiles had been launched from Yemen. It was reported that an interception attempt was made and the results are still “under review.” So far, there has been no official statement regarding casualties or damage. Israel did not acknowledge any other claims regarding missiles or UAVs.

Israel launches ‘Operation Black Flag’

Shortly before the attacks, Israeli jets issued evacuation warnings for Yemen’s Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif ports, as well as the Hodeidah power plant. Subsequently, the Israeli military announced that it had carried out attacks on these areas, with 20 fighter jets dropping more than 50 bombs.

The Israeli government stated that the attack marked the beginning of a new military operation against Yemen, which it has named “Operation Black Flag.”

Israel also announced that it had targeted the vessel Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the Houthis in November 2023. The Israeli military alleged that the Houthis had installed a radar system on the ship to monitor maritime traffic in the region, using it for the “activities of the terrorist Houthi regime.”

Attack on a ship in the Red Sea

Hours before the strikes, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned merchant vessel named Magic Seas was attacked in the Red Sea. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Although Yemen has not conducted attacks affecting international shipping in recent months, it has intensified its ballistic missile strikes against Israel.

The Tel Aviv administration had hardened its rhetoric toward Yemen in recent weeks. Following the downing of a missile launched from Yemen by Israel on July 1, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated, “Yemen will now be treated like Tehran. Whoever raises a hand against Israel, that hand will be cut off.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has alleged that the US airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22 was successful, setting back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions for years, contrary to initial media reports.

Hersh stated that the portrayal of the attack as a failure was based on an incomplete report leaked to media organizations driven by animosity toward President Donald Trump.

He noted that outlets such as CNN and MSNBC based their reports, which claimed the strike failed to achieve its primary objective, on an analysis purportedly from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

However, Hersh clarified that there was no complete DIA analysis. The leaked document was, in fact, an initial “after-action report” prepared by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) following the operation.

‘Media reports were politically motivated leaks’

Citing a US official involved in planning the attack, Hersh wrote that this initial report was summarized and leaked for “political purposes” with the aim of immediately casting doubt on the operation’s success.

“The first reports even suggested that Iran’s nuclear program was unaffected by the attack,” Hersh commented.

He recalled that the operation involved seven US B-2 Spirit bombers taking off from their base in Missouri, each armed with two 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, to target the Fordo nuclear facility, which is hidden deep inside a mountain 20 miles north of Qom.

‘The real target was Isfahan’

According to Hersh, the planning for the attack began with the knowledge that the main operational area at Fordo was located at least 260 feet below the rocky surface. The gas centrifuges operating there were enriching uranium to 60% purity, not the 90% weapons-grade level.

Hersh stated that the US Air Force planning group received intelligence before the attack, likely through Israeli sources, that more than 450 pounds of enriched gas stored at Fordo had been moved to Isfahan, 215 miles south of Tehran. He emphasized that Isfahan housed the only facility capable of converting enriched gas into highly enriched metal—a critical first step in making a bomb.

“Isfahan was a separate target in the attack on Fordo and was leveled by Tomahawk missiles fired from a US submarine operating in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen,” Hersh wrote.

The journalist underscored that even if the centrifuges at Fordo survived the attack, Iran could not produce a nuclear bomb without the Isfahan facility.

‘The glass is half full’

The American official who briefed Hersh said the planners’ first question was, “How big was the actual working area at Fordo?”

The official explained that the area was estimated to be about the size of two hockey rinks (34,000 square feet) and that the bombs carried by the B-2s were more than powerful enough to destroy it.

Referring to the bunker-buster bombs, the official stated, “The bombs made their own holes. We created a 30,000-pound steel dart.”

The official highlighted that the absence of any radioactive traces in the area after the attack was the most significant evidence that the enriched uranium had been moved to Isfahan before the operation.

The official, noting that the operation, codenamed “Midnight Hammer,” also struck another facility in Natanz, remarked, “The Air Force hit everything on the list. Even if Iran rebuilds some centrifuges, they will need Isfahan. Without it, they have no conversion capability.”

When Hersh asked, “So why isn’t the public being told about the operation’s success?” the official replied, “There will be a top-secret report on all of this, but we don’t tell people how hard we work. We tell the public what we think they want to hear.”

The official clarified that the goal of the attack was not to “completely annihilate” Iran’s nuclear program but to prevent it from building a nuclear weapon in the near term.

The official explained the situation with an analogy:

“Annihilation means the glass is full. The planning and the results show the glass is half full. For Trump’s critics, the results mean the glass is half empty. The reality is that the glass is half full. The result? A delay of several years and an uncertain future.”

Hersh concluded his article by stating, “This is about a successful US mission that became the subject of much sloppy reporting because of a despised president. It would be a landmark if someone in the mainstream press talked about the double standard that protects Israel and its nuclear umbrella, but that remains a taboo in America.”

The Nedaye Party, a political party from the reformist camp in Iran, issued a letter calling on more than 100 political parties and international organizations worldwide to unite in condemning Israel’s attacks.

Presenting itself as a “young, reformist, and peace-loving” political party, the Nedaye Iranian Party released a letter addressing more than 100 global political parties and international organizations across five continents, regarding Israel’s attacks on Iran and especially its war crimes committed against civilians, children, women, and peace-loving civil activists in Gaza.

The letter, signed by the Secretary-General of the party, Seyed Shahabeddin Tabatabaei, proposed the formation of a global coalition capable of taking serious measures against the spread of violence and threats to global peace.

The letter suggested that anti-war and peace-loving political parties cooperate to unite against Israel’s aggression and war crimes. The concrete proposals were listed as follows:

1- Officially, firmly and publicly condemn the recent Israeli attack on Iran.

2- Pressure your governments to stop military, intelligence and technological cooperation with this regime.

3- Support the referral of these crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the initiation of legal proceedings against its officials.

4- Demand that the competent UN bodies conduct independent, transparent and impartial investigations into these attacks.

5- Actively participate in launching international awareness campaigns to expose the dimensions of these crimes.

6- Hold partisan and international meetings to coordinate political and legal measures against the Zionist regime.

At the end of the letter, the Nedaye Party proposed the formation of an international coalition capable of taking effective and serious steps to oppose the spread of violence and threats to global peace, calling for a “shared stance.” It emphasized that organizing a joint meeting among various parties across the world would be “a first but strategic step on the path to international political solidarity.”

The letter concluded with the following words:

“This is not just a call to issue a statement; it is a call for collective action, for solidarity in defending human dignity, and to prevent the repetition of tragedies that may occur tomorrow in another corner of the world.

The memory of all the innocents lost calls us to a historic responsibility. Let us stand against warmongering and destruction at this critical moment, with unity and determination, and build a more humane world.”