Blazing port: US airstrikes kill 74 in Yemen’s Ras Isa oil hub

Deadly strikes spark outrage as Washington targets Houthi fuel revenues; Red Sea tensions rise further

SANAA, Yemen (MNTV) — In one of the deadliest U.S. military actions in Yemen to date, American airstrikes on the Ras Isa oil port have killed at least 74 people and injured 171 others, according to Iranian-backed Houthi officials who control the region.

The strikes were launched on Thursday and primarily targeted fuel infrastructure that the U.S. claims is funding Houthi operations, especially attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Houthi Health Ministry spokesperson Anees Alasbahi confirmed the figures on Friday, stating that the majority of victims were workers present at the port during the attack.

The Ras Isa facility, located along Yemen’s western coast, is a critical node for the country’s oil exports and humanitarian imports.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) took responsibility for the strikes, justifying the action as an attempt to weaken what it called the “economic source of power” of Iran-backed Houthi forces.

“Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists,” CENTCOM wrote in a social media post.

Al Jazeera, reporting from Sanaa, said the strikes were sudden and devastating.

“The first four air raids were waged while the people were working,” report said, describing scenes of panic as truck drivers and other workers were caught in the blasts.

Footage aired by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV showed massive fireballs lighting up the night sky above Ras Isa port. Later clips revealed scorched vehicles, charred remains, and injured survivors recounting their ordeal from hospital beds.

“We ran away. The strikes came one after the other, then everything was on fire,” said a burn victim interviewed by Al Masirah.

The port of Ras Isa, along with Hodeidah and as-Salif, handles about 70 percent of Yemen’s imports and 80 percent of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Damage to such a facility risks aggravating the already dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where millions depend on foreign aid.

The attack has drawn strong condemnation from various quarters.

Houthi official Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi denounced the air raids as “American enemy crimes,” vowing they would not deter Yemen’s support for Gaza but would instead “strengthen [our] steadfastness.”

Iran’s foreign ministry also condemned the strikes, calling them “barbaric” and a violation of Yemeni sovereignty.

Attacks on Israel linked ships

Since November 2023, the Houthis claim to have launched over 100 attacks on ships linked to Israel, disrupting traffic through the Red Sea and forcing detours around the Cape of Good Hope.

Earlier this year, in March, U.S. strikes killed more than 50 people over two days, according to Houthi reports.

Thursday’s attack now surpasses that toll, raising alarm among humanitarian organisations and international observers.

Following the attack, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, indicating potential retaliatory actions by Houthi forces.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce alleged that the Chinese satellite company Chang Guang Satellite Technology is “directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests” by providing satellite imagery.

“This is yet another example of China’s empty claims to support peace,” she told reporters, although no technical details were provided initially.

With Yemen’s infrastructure already crippled by years of war, and civilian suffering at an all-time high, attacks on vital facilities like Ras Isa threaten to unravel what little remains of humanitarian access in the country.

International watchdogs and relief agencies have urged restraint.

Red Crescent teams and civil defence workers remained at the scene, battling flames and pulling survivors from the rubble.

The United Nations has not yet formally commented on the incident.

However, with tensions surging across the Red Sea and beyond, the world is watching how Yemen, the U.S., and its allies navigate the next chapter of this increasingly complex conflict.