US airstrikes on Yemen kill at least 58, spark outcry
Deadly attack targets Ras Isa facility in Red Sea escalation as US vows to cut Houthi revenue
RAS ISA, Yemen (MNTV) – At least 58 people were killed and 126 others injured following US airstrikes on the Ras Isa oil terminal on Yemen’s Red Sea coast late Thursday.
The strikes, among the deadliest since President Donald Trump intensified US bombardment last month, targeted the Yemenis indiscriminately.
Central Command said the attack aimed “to eliminate the source of fuel” used to finance “terrorist actions.” However, the CentCom claims are denied by Houthi official claims.
Houthi authorities condemned the strikes as a “full-fledged war crime,” insisting the facility was civilian and not of military value.
In a statement, the Houthi-led government said, “We hold the US administration fully responsible for the consequences resulting from its escalation in the Red Sea.”
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported 14 airstrikes on the facility, including secondary strikes that killed five paramedics. Footage aired by the channel showed large explosions, burning tankers, and charred bodies at the site.
A worker interviewed by Al-Masirah said, “We ran away. The strikes came one after the other, then everything was on fire.”
The United States has accused the Houthis of using fuel smuggling through Ras Isa to finance their military operations, including missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrikes as “barbaric,” while the Houthis reiterated their intention to continue attacks in support of Palestinians amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Shortly after the airstrikes, Israel reported intercepting a missile launched from Yemen. Sirens were triggered in several areas, but no casualties or damage were reported.
On the same day, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi gave a televised speech claiming the US strikes had not stopped their operations.
He said the group had launched nearly 80 attacks since mid-March, including those targeting Israel and the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
Yemen’s ongoing conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis took control of large parts of the north, prompting a Saudi-led intervention.
The war has killed over 150,000 people, displaced 4.8 million, and left nearly half the population in need of humanitarian aid.
Since late 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, claiming to target vessels linked to Israel, the US, or the UK in response to the war in Gaza. The group has sunk two ships, seized another, and killed four crew members.
President Trump, who took office in January, reclassified the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” and has threatened further strikes if the group continues its operations.
His administration has also warned Iran against supplying arms to the Houthis, an allegation Tehran denies.
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