Iranian Regime Mouthpiece 'Kayhan': For The Houthis, It's 'Open Season On American F-35s' That Israel Uses To Strike Yemen

Memri

06-06-2025

On May 31, 2025, the Iranian regime mouthpiece Kayhan highlighted statements by Mahdi Al-Mashat, the head of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, the executive body of the Ansar Allah movement, i.e. the Houthis, an Iranian proxy like Hizbullah in Lebanon, and Palestinian resistance organizations, including Hamas. Boasting of what it said was the Houthis' operational capability to locate and down advanced American F-35 fighter jets, which Israel uses against Yemen, Al-Mashat had said that "the hit and run era is over" and that now the Houthis have systems that can change the rules of the conflict, which will require the parties involved to reconsider their moves.
Presenting the "defeat" of the U.S. by the Houthis, and stating that the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier had retreated from the Red Sea fearing that the F-35s on board would be downed, the Kayhan article stated that Yemen is one of only three countries, along with Russia and China, capable of "putting an end to the undisputed supremacy of the F-35." It added that President Donald Trump had submitted to Houthi pressure, begun to secretly negotiate with the group, and was even refraining from promising to defend Israel. It also said that the U.S. was concealing the downing of its planes, calling it a "technical glitch" and, in cases of successful Houthi strikes, launching a media campaign to obscure this. Kayhan went on to cast the Houthis as the most resolute and dangerous enemy the U.S. faces in the region.
The following is a translation of Kayhan's May 31, 2025 article, which was titled "Open Season On F-35s."
"Open Season On F-35s" – Kayhan, May 31, 2025
"The statements about Yemen's new air defense system by Mahdi Al-Mashat, head of Yemen's [the Houthis'] Supreme Political Council, are 'very important.' Yesterday [May 30, 2025], Al-Mashat told the [Hizbullah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen] television network that his country had acquired the technology and equipment needed to down American F-35 fighter jets. He added, 'In the coming days, we will make a laughingstock out of the Zionist planes. These statements came in response to the Israeli regime's attacks on Yemeni ports. The Zionist regime must travel over 1,000 kilometers to attack Yemen, and for this it usually uses F-15 and F-35 fighter jets accompanied by a Boeing 707 refueling plane.
"Now, the Yemenis are explicitly saying that 'the hit-and-run era is over,' and that from now on, in addition to firing missiles at the occupied territories [Israel] they can also easily locate these fighter jets in the sky and strike them. This is a significant claim, so significant that perhaps some see it as 'the usual roars of war' whose message always arouses doubts on the part of the aggressor and makes him change his calculations.
"If [the Houthis] succeed, this claim could change the equations of the war. It is interesting to note that a few days before Mahdi Al-Mashat['s statement], the American magazine National Interest announced, quoting several knowledgeable American sources, that 'only three countries possess the technology necessary to end the undisputed superiority of the American F-35 stealth fighter jet,' and these three are 'Russia, China, and... Yemen!'
"Things get even more interesting when we learn that the prestigious American newspaper The New York Times also wrote, attempting to expose the background of the surprise U.S.-Yemen ceasefire and the USS Harry S Truman's escape from the Red Sea, that Trump, fearing damage from the Yemeni attacks and the downing of his F-35 jets, started negotiating with them and removed the aircraft carrier from the region. Asked 'If the Yemenis attack Israel after the ceasefire, what will be your reaction?' Trump replied, 'I will talk to both sides!'
"Firing at huge ships whose main purpose is to intimidate the enemy, and downing expensive modern American fighter jets into the sea, is not something that every country can afford to do, or has the capability or courage to do. China and Russia may be able to attack the giant American planes, or down American F-35s – but have they the courage? The Houthis have shown that they do. Mahdi Al-Mashat says that we need to wait just a few days to see if they have the capability of downing F-35s!
"In May, there were only a few days in which the Yemenis did not attack Tel Aviv, Israel's airports, and sensitive security centers, and [Israel] will apparently again attack Yemen in an attempt to stop this. In light of Mahdi Al-Mashat's statements, this potential [future] Israeli attack is expected to be particularly fateful! We must wait and see. But we must also consider that any news about downed Israeli F-35s jets will be censored, and no one will hear about it.[1]
"The Tone Of Yemen's Supreme Political Council Head [Al-Mashat] Regarding The Yemenis' Powerful New Air Defense Is So Serious That It Can Be Said That Important News Is Imminent"
"Experts on Yemen say that war with it, for whatever reason, is a very difficult challenge, even for the biggest military powers. This difficulty stems mainly from the 'character of the Yemeni people.' The Yemenis are a unique people; all those who have studied Yemeni society in depth unanimously confirm their uniqueness. For example, it is said that when [the Yemenis] encounter a problem or crisis, they do not 'wait,' but find a solution by themselves and continue moving forward in any way possible. Just as they have found a solution for the [problem of the] enormous American aircraft carriers, they say they have already found a solution for the [problem of the] F-35s. We must wait and see how effective their solution is.
"'Courage' is one of the Yemeni people's most prominent characteristics, and this has made it hard for any enemy to fight them. They [the Houthis] have reiterated after every major attack by America and the Zionist regime that these attacks would not make them abandon their Palestinian brothers. The very fact that you have the courage to strike the world's largest military power and expel it from the region – is that not the height of courage? Israel and America, which were never seriously involved in fighting Yemen, know very little about this country and its people. In the words of that Zionist writer, 'Israel knows every single point in Lebanon, because it is a very close neighbor – but about Yemen, we have almost no information... Therefore, the war against the Houthis is especially difficult'...
"As mentioned above, the coming days will be critical, in light of Mahdi Al-Mashat's claim. If the Yemenis successfully down the advanced and strategic F-35 fighter jet, we may well face a major psychological and media operation by America and the Zionist regime. They will try to downplay the significance of the incident.
"They'll say, for example, that a 'technical glitch' was what caused the downing of the advanced fighter jet – just like they did in in the case of the three American F-18s, when they tried to claim that their downing was the result of evasive maneuvers by the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier – not by the precision firing of Yemeni missiles. At the same time, there may be barbaric Israeli attacks on civilian centers in Yemen, as well as an even more cruel massacre of Gazans. The Zionists generally advance their interests while taking civilians hostage.
"'The option of starting secret negotiations' is another scenario that could materialize if an Israeli F-35 is downed. Israel may enter into secret negotiations with Yemen with American mediation, just as Trump conducted secret negotiations with the Yemenis, since neither Israel nor America can bear such great humiliation to its image.
"The tone of Yemen's Supreme Political Council head [Al-Mashat] regarding the Yemenis' powerful new air defense is so serious that it can be said that important news is imminent. The best thing to do in this situation is to wait and see what happens. If the Yemenis' promise is kept, it can be said that the rules of this war will change.
"The main question is: Are the Israeli regime and the U.S. willing to accept the risk of losing F-35s? Or would they rather avoid direct confrontation with Yemen?"[2]