US airstrikes targeting a crucial oil terminal on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, controlled by the Houthi movement, have reportedly resulted in a staggering death toll of at least 74 individuals, along with injuries to 171 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The US military confirmed the destruction of the Ras Isa terminal, stating that the operation aimed to dismantle a pivotal source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthis and to curtail their illegal revenue streams.
In response to the airstrikes, the Houthi-led government in north-west Yemen condemned the actions, labeling the terminal a civilian facility and decrying the strikes as a “war crime.” This incident marks the deadliest attack since President Donald Trump called for an escalation of US military operations last month, following Houthi assaults on shipping routes in the Red Sea and actions linked to the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Details of the airstrikes and subsequent events
Hours after the assault on Ras Isa, the Israeli military intercepted a missile that had been launched from Yemen, triggering sirens in various Israeli regions. Fortunately, no casualties or damage were reported from this incident.
According to reports from Houthi-operated Al-Masirah TV, 14 airstrikes targeted the Ras Isa facility late Thursday. Videos circulating online purportedly depict multiple explosions, extensive fires, and destroyed fuel tankers at the site, located approximately 60 kilometers north of Hudaydah. A witness who claimed to work at the facility recounted, “We ran away. The strikes came one after the other, then everything was on fire.”
By Thursday afternoon, Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees al-Asbahi announced that the death toll had risen to 74, with rescue teams continuing their search for victims. Early reports indicated that many of those killed were workers at the oil terminal, with reports of five paramedics also losing their lives in subsequent strikes while attempting to assist the injured.
“We affirm that the targeting of the Ras Isa oil port is a full-fledged war crime, as the port is a civilian facility and not a military one,”
the Houthi-led government stated, holding the US administration accountable for the fallout from its military actions in the region. Meanwhile, the US military’s Central Command emphasized that the strikes aimed to weaken the Houthis’ economic capabilities, which they allege have been used to inflict suffering on the Yemeni populace.
Ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis
Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the US strikes as “barbaric.” On the same day, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi delivered a resolute address, asserting that the recent US military actions had not quelled their operations. He claimed that Houthi forces had executed nearly 80 operations involving approximately 170 missiles and drones since mid-March, which included attacks targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and numerous assaults on Israel.
The ongoing civil war in Yemen, which escalated a decade ago when the Houthis seized control of the north-western part of the country, has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, claiming over 150,000 lives and displacing 4.8 million people. Presently, 19.5 million individuals, or half of Yemen’s population, are in dire need of assistance.
The Houthis have been actively targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden for some time, and despite the presence of Western warships aimed at safeguarding maritime routes, they continue to assert their military actions are in solidarity with the Palestinian cause amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The group has claimed, albeit often inaccurately, to be targeting only vessels associated with Israel, the US, or the UK.
As tensions rise, the Houthis remain undeterred by previous military responses and threats, including Trump’s designation of the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation.” The conflict continues to evolve, with the US and Israel both conducting military operations against the Houthis in light of ongoing hostilities.