Iran has strongly condemned Israel's deadly retaliatory strike on the Huthi-controlled port of Hodeida in Yemen, which the rebels claim resulted in six deaths and numerous injuries. Late on Saturday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani expressed his "strong condemnation" of the attack, labeling it as "an indication of the aggressive behavior of the child-killing Israeli regime".
Israeli warplanes targeted the crucial port of Hodeida in response to a fatal drone attack by the Iran-backed Houthis on Tel Aviv, which claimed the life of one civilian. The Houthi rebels have since warned of a "massive" retaliation against Israel.
Kanani further stated that Israel and its supporters, including the United States, bear "direct responsibility for the perilous and unpredictable repercussions of the ongoing crimes in Gaza, as well as the attacks on Yemen".
Regional tensions have escalated since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, involving Iran-backed militant groups from Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen. Yemen's Huthi rebels, along with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, form part of a Tehran-aligned "axis of resistance" against Israel and its allies.
The Islamic republic has reaffirmed its support for these groups while maintaining that they operate independently in their decision-making and actions.
