By Shukri Hussein
ADEN, Yemen (AA) - The legitimate Yemeni government condemned an Israeli attack Saturday on the province of Hodeidah in western Yemen in a statement from an unnamed official source that was published by the Saba news agency.
The government "strongly condemned the aggression by the Zionist entity and its violation of Yemeni sovereignty," it said.
The strike is considered “a clear violation of all international laws and norms."
The legitimate government held "the Zionist entity fully responsible for any repercussions resulting from its airstrikes, including exacerbating the humanitarian crisis worsened by the Houthi militias through their terrorist attacks on oil facilities and international shipping lanes, as well as strengthening the position of the militias and their misleading propaganda."
The government reiterated a "warning to the Houthi militias against continuing to jeopardize the fate of Yemen, its people, and involving them in their futile battles serving the interests of the Iranian regime and its expansionist project in the region."
It also warned "the Iranian regime and the Zionist entity against any attempt to turn Yemeni territories, through rogue militias, into a battlefield for their futile wars and sabotage projects in the region."
It urged "the international community and the (UN) Security Council to shoulder their responsibilities to protect international security and peace."
The government reaffirmed its "steadfast and supportive stance towards the Palestinian people” and urged the international community to "take all necessary steps to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, achieve their aspirations for security, stability, and dignified life, and establish their independent state with its capital in East Jerusalem.”
Israeli aircraft launched airstrikes Saturday that targeted the port of Hodeidah, its fuel tanks and power station, resulting in the death of two victims and injuries to 80 others with various burns, according to the Houthi Health Ministry.
Al-Masirah TV, affiliated with the Houthis, reported casualties and injuries from the attack on oil tanks in the port of Hodeidah and a power station.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attack as a "direct response" to a drone strike Friday by the Houthi group on Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli and injured 10 others.
US officials told Channel 12, an Israeli private channel, that Tel Aviv independently carried out the attack without any military intervention from Washington.
The attack is Israel's first direct response to recent Houthi attacks.
*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul