Iran condemns Israeli attack on Yemen's Hodeida port

Tehran — Iran has condemned Israel's deadly retaliatory strike on the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida in Yemen that the rebels say killed six people and wounded dozens more.

Late Saturday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani "strongly condemned" the attack saying it was "an expression of the aggressive behavior of the child-killing Israeli regime."

Israeli warplanes on Saturday struck the vital port of Hodeida in response to a deadly drone attack by the Iran-backed Houthis on Tel Aviv, which killed one civilian.

The Houthi rebels have since threatened a "huge" retaliation against Israel.

Kanani added that Israel and its supporters, including the United States, were "directly responsible for the dangerous and unpredictable consequences of the continued crimes in Gaza, as well as the attacks on Yemen."

Regional tensions have soared since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, drawing in Iran-backed militant groups in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after its fighters killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in the October 7 attack which triggered the war, according to Israeli tallies. Israel says it believes Hamas is still holding 116 hostages, that includes 42 the military says are dead.

Nearly 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. In May, Israel estimated the death toll at 30,000, and said that most of the dead are combatants.

Yemen's Houthi rebels, along with the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza are part of a Tehran-aligned "axis of resistance" against Israel and its allies.

The Islamic Republic has reiterated support for the groups but insisted they were independent in their decision-making and actions.