In a devastating turn of events, Yemen's Hodeida port is now engulfed in a massive blaze, which broke out following a deadly Israeli airstrike on the oil storage facilities, endangering aid ships and further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. Firefighting teams have been tirelessly battling the flames for three consecutive days, but their efforts have been hampered by the expanding blaze and limited progress.

According to reports from an AFP correspondent in Hodeida, heavy flames and black smoke continue to spiral into the sky, raising concerns that the fire may reach the crucial food storage facilities within the port. High-resolution satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies showed extensive damage to the fuel storage area, with at least 33 oil storage tankers destroyed.

The Yemen Petroleum Company, which operates the fuel depot at Hodeida port, confirmed that six of its employees were killed in the Israeli strike. The Houthi rebel movement, backed by Iran, claimed that over 80 individuals sustained injuries, many of them with severe burns. In a solemn ceremony, funerals were held for the victims as their coffins were carried through the streets of Hodeida, surrounded by grieving crowds and led by a Houthi marching band.

The Israeli strike on Saturday was in response to a Houthi-launched drone that breached Israel's air defenses, resulting in the death of one person in Tel Aviv the day before. This marked the first Israeli attack on Yemen, a country already grappling with intense conflict and widespread poverty.

The Houthis, a part of the Iran-backed network of groups in the region, have pledged a significant response to the Israeli airstrikes and threatened to launch further attacks on Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, U.S. and British forces have been targeting Houthi military infrastructure in Yemen for months, retaliating against the group's regular assaults on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, where vital shipping lanes are situated.

The Houthis assert that their attacks in the region are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who are engaged in an ongoing conflict with Israeli forces. The ideological alliance between the Houthis and Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, has fueled tensions between Israel and the rebel group.

The extent of the damage caused by the fire at Hodeida port remains uncertain, as heavy smoke hinders a complete assessment. With the situation on the ground escalating rapidly, the international community is closely monitoring the situation, fearing further deterioration of the already dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen.

The consequences of this tragic incident emphasize the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in the region, as innocent lives continue to be caught in the crossfire of geopolitical tensions and power struggles.