Sanaa, Yemen — The U.S. military launched a devastating strike on Yemen’s Ras Issa fuel port, a critical hub used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, leaving at least 20 dead and 50 injured, according to Houthi officials. The attack, part of an escalating U.S. campaign to cripple the rebels’ operations, aimed to choke off their supply lines and illicit revenue streams, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Friday.
“This strike was about cutting off the Houthis’ economic lifeline,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “For over a decade, these Iran-backed terrorists have exploited Yemen’s resources to fund their campaign of terror across the region.”
The Ras Issa port, located on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, has remained a conduit for fuel shipments despite U.S. efforts to designate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year. CENTCOM did not disclose the origin of the fuel but emphasized that the port’s destruction was a strategic blow to the rebels’ ability to sustain their attacks on civilian and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi reported a grim toll, with five paramedics among the dead and rescue teams still identifying remains. “The death count may climb as we recover more victims,” he posted on X, describing frantic efforts by civil defense crews to extinguish fires and search for survivors amid the wreckage.
Grainy footage aired by the Houthi-run Al-Masira channel showed a massive fireball illuminating the port, with thick plumes of smoke rising from what appeared to be a raging inferno. The outlet labeled the images as evidence of “U.S. aggression” against Yemen.
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Since March 15, the U.S. has pounded Houthi targets with near-daily airstrikes, responding to the rebels’ relentless assaults on international shipping routes. The Houthis, who began targeting vessels in late 2023 in claimed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted traffic through the Suez Canal, a vital artery handling roughly 12% of global trade. Many shipping companies have been forced to reroute around southern Africa, incurring significant costs.
The Biden administration initiated the strikes, and President Donald Trump, now in office, has pledged to maintain military pressure until the Houthis cease their threat to maritime security. On Thursday, France’s defense minister reported that a French frigate in the Red Sea shot down a Houthi drone, underscoring the international effort to secure the region’s waterways.
Adding to the geopolitical tensions, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce accused a Chinese satellite company, Chang Guang Satellite Technology, of aiding the Houthis by providing imagery that supports their attacks. “Beijing’s backing of this firm, despite our warnings, exposes China’s hollow claims of supporting peace,” Bruce told reporters, though she offered no specifics on the company’s role.
The Ras Issa strike marks a significant escalation in the U.S. campaign to degrade Houthi capabilities, but with civilian casualties mounting, the operation risks further inflaming Yemen’s already volatile conflict.