At least 80 people have been killed in US air strikes targeting Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port, marking one of the deadliest attacks, according to the Houthis.
According to the Houthi-linked Al-Masirah channel, the Hodeidah Health Office raised the death toll late Friday, reporting that 150 others were wounded in the air strikes conducted on Thursday.
The attack on the Ras Isa port, a crucial lifeline supplying fuel and food to nearly two-thirds of Yemen’s population, is seen as an attempt to starve the Yemeni people further and weaken their support for Gaza.
Approximately 70 percent of Yemen’s imports and 80 percent of its humanitarian aid pass through the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and as-Salif, making any destruction to these facilities catastrophic for the country’s already fragile situation.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement issued after the attack, said the objective of these strikes was to “degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis.”
“Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years.”
They further stated that, “The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization.”
Although the US stated that “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen, who rightly want to throw off the yoke of Houthi subjugation and live peacefully,” reports indicate that most of those killed were port workers, highlighting the heavy civilian toll.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree condemned the attack, stating, “The American enemy’s targeting of the Ras Isa oil port is a full-fledged war crime, as the port is a civilian, not military, facility that serves all Yemenis. It will not go unpunished.”
Following the strikes, the Houthis announced missile attacks on sites in Israel and two US aircraft carriers.
Yemen carried out a joint military operation targeting the two U.S. aircraft carriers “Truman” and “Vinson” and their accompanying warships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
Houthis claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, marking it as the 20th such drone downed by their forces.
Meanwhile, millions took to the streets across various regions of Yemen in solidarity with Palestine, chanting, “Gaza, you are not alone.”
“The American military build-up and continued aggression against our country will only lead to more counter-attacks and attack operations, clashes and confrontations,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree told demonstrators gathered in Sanaa to protest American and Israeli actions.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have reportedly carried out more than 100 attacks on vessels they allege are connected to Israel, describing their campaign as a response to Israel’s ongoing Genocide on Gaza.
Washington has warned that strikes against the Houthis will persist until the group halts its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
The United States recently launched air strikes targeting Houthi positions, marking its largest military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
