TEHRAN – American and British airstrikes on Yemen have resulted in the deaths of more than 30 civilians and left at least 100 others injured.

The majority of the casualties, including those killed and injured, were women and children as a result of the air and naval strikes. 

U.S. and British forces conducted multiple airstrikes targeting the capital, Sanaa, as well as Saada, al-Bayda in central Yemen, and Dhamar, located south of the capital. 

Reports and assessments so far indicate that the attacks targeted residential areas and civilian infrastructure. 

Reports also indicate that the airstrikes hit a local power station, cutting off the power supply in the city of Dhahyan in Saada province. 

The Supreme Political Council in Yemen condemned the U.S. airstrikes, calling them an act of aggression and describing them as support for the Israeli occupation. 

In a statement, the council said that “targeting civilians proves America’s failure in confrontation and will not deter us from our stance in support of Gaza.” 

The council emphasized that “those who attack Yemen will be punished in a professional and painful manner.” 

The attack on Yemen occurred just days after the Yemeni armed forces announced they would resume their ban on Israeli ships passing through designated operational areas in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden. 

The Yemeni armed forces made this announcement last Tuesday after the deadline set by Ansarallah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi had expired. 

The deadline was intended for mediators to pressure the Israeli occupation to reopen border crossings and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. 

Although no Ansarallah operations have been reported since then, experts believe that Israeli and Israeli-affiliated vessels have been avoiding the waters designated by the Yemeni forces. 

The official spokesman for the government in Sanaa, Mohammad Abdel Salam, delivered the following statement: 

“The U.S. airstrikes on Yemen are a blatant aggression against an independent state and an encouragement for the Israeli enemy entity to continue its unjust siege on Gaza. 

The U.S. president's claim of a threat to international navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait is false and misleads international public opinion. 

The maritime blockade announced by Yemen in support of Gaza is limited only to Israeli shipping until humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza, in accordance with the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance and the enemy entity. This Yemeni blockade was implemented after a four-day grace period for mediators. 

We affirm that international navigation in the Red Sea will remain safe from Yemen’s side and that the American airstrikes mark a return to the militarization of the Red Sea, which is the real threat to international navigation in the region.” 

A senior Yemeni official warned that the attack on Yemen “will not go unanswered” saying that Yemen “may escalate its support for Gaza’s resistance in response to the U.S.-British aggression.” 

The official stressed that “no Israeli ships will pass through the designated maritime area,” while he promised that Ansarallah will make Americans repent voting U.S. President Donald Trump into office. 

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Ansarallah political office, echoed these sentiments, stating, “The U.S. attack on Yemen is unjustified, as the Yemeni armed forces are targeting the Zionist entity.” 

In a TV interview, al-Bukhaiti stated, “Everyone knows we are sincere in our responses. To those who accuse us of being reckless, we say that those who align with the U.S. and Israel are the real risk-takers.” 

Al-Bukhaiti emphasized that retaliation against the U.S. attack is inevitable, noting that there is no difference between the Trump and Biden administrations when it comes to Yemen. 

He affirmed that Yemen will not abandon its support for Palestine or its stance against the United States, regardless of the cost. 

Al-Bukhaiti concluded by stating, “What sets this battle apart from previous ones is that it is now clear-cut, a battle between absolute right and absolute wrong.” 

For about 15 months, the United States, Israel, and Britain regularly targeted positions they claimed belonged to Ansarallah in Yemen. 

Despite those attacks, the government in Sanaa continued its military operations against the Israeli occupation in solidarity with Gaza, showing no signs of backing down.

By Wesam Bahrani