North Korea condemned recent US strikes on Yemen as a violation of international law and the sovereignty of a nation, saying such actions could never be justified, the North's state media quoted its ambassador to Yemen as saying on Tuesday.

The large-scale US strikes, launched last week by President Donald Trump, targeted the Iran-aligned Houthi militia over its attacks on Red Sea shipping. The Houthi-run health ministry said the strikes killed at least 53 people, including women and children.

North Korean Ambassador Ma Dong Hui, who the KCNA state news agency said also serves as Pyongyang's envoy to Egypt, accused Washington of “indiscriminately” targeting civilians and property by mobilizing air and naval forces, including an aircraft carrier.

“The military attack by the United States is a violent violation of the UN Charter and international law, and is a blatant infringement on the territorial sovereignty of another country that cannot be justified by any means,” Ma said.

“I express grave concern about the illegal and reckless military actions by the United States, which is obsessed with realizing geopolitical ambitions ... and I strongly condemn and reject them.”

The US Defense Department said the strikes hit more than 30 sites and involved fighter jets launched from a carrier in the Red Sea.