Watan-The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel reported that at least 74 people were killed by a U.S. airstrike on a fuel port in Yemen—one of the deadliest attacks since the United States began its military campaign there.
According to Al-Masirah, the airstrikes targeted Ras Issa Port in western Yemen and also injured 126 people.
The Trump administration has vowed not to halt the large-scale airstrikes, which began last month, unless the Houthis stop targeting shipping in the Red Sea. The U.S. air campaign is the largest military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January.
U.S. Destroys Houthi-Linked Yemen Oil Port Amid Red Sea Tensions
Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships transiting the waterway, claiming they are targeting vessels linked to Israel in protest against its war on Gaza.
The Houthis had ceased attacks during a previous ceasefire in Gaza. Although they pledged to resume them after Israel resumed its assault on Gaza last month, they have not claimed responsibility for any new attacks since then.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had no further comment beyond its initial announcement regarding the airstrikes, in response to a Reuters inquiry about the Houthi-reported casualties and whether CENTCOM had its own estimates.
The U.S. military announced that on Thursday, its forces destroyed the Ras Issa oil port in Yemen as part of efforts to cut off funding and supplies to the Houthis.
CENTCOM stated on X (formerly Twitter):“The goal of these strikes is to weaken a source of the Houthis’ economic power, which they continue to exploit to harm their own people. The strikes were not intended to harm the Yemeni people.”
Condemnation from Iran and Hamas
Iran strongly condemned the “barbaric” U.S. airstrikes on Friday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said:“We strongly condemn the American airstrike on Yemen’s Ras Issa port,” calling it a “sign of aggressive crimes and a blatant violation of the core principles of the United Nations Charter.”
Hamas also condemned the U.S. airstrikes on Ras Issa oil port on Friday, calling them a “war crime and a violation of Yemeni sovereignty.”
In its statement, Hamas said:“We strongly condemn the criminal American air aggression targeting Ras Issa oil port in Al-Hudaydah Governorate in the Republic of Yemen, which resulted in the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians, including medics and port workers.”
The group added that:“This brutal aggression is a flagrant violation of Yemeni sovereignty and constitutes a full-fledged war crime. It reaffirms the ongoing aggressive American policies that target free nations resisting Zionist and American hegemony in the region.”
Hamas also stated:“The U.S. aggression against the Yemeni people is a continuation of the genocide being carried out against our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and of the joint American-Zionist aggression on the peoples of our region.”
U.S. Strikes on Yemen Kill 125 Civilians Amid Gaza War Escalation
Since March 15, hundreds of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen have been recorded, resulting in 125 civilian deaths and 256 injuries, mostly among women and children, according to Houthi data (excluding casualties among Houthi fighters).
These strikes follow orders by U.S. President Donald Trump, who directed the military to launch a “major offensive” against the Houthis, threatening to “wipe them out completely.”
The Houthis, however, have ignored Trump’s threats and resumed targeting sites inside Israel and ships headed there, in response to Israel’s renewed war on Gaza since March 18.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, since March 18, Israel has killed 1,691 Palestinians and injured 4,464, most of them women and children.
In total, since October 7, 2023, the U.S.-backed Israeli assault has resulted in more than 167,000 Palestinian casualties (killed and wounded), most of them children and women, with over 11,000 still missing.
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