The site was used to fund the Houthi “terrorist effort,” the United States Central Command said
The US has carried out strikes on the Ras Isa fuel port in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. The operation is part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to prevent the rebel group from targeting tankers and other merchant vessels sailing through the Suez Canal and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
“The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Thursday. It added that ships continued supplying fuel through the port after the militant group’s terrorist designation took effect on April 5.
“Profits from these illegal sales are directly funding and sustaining Houthi terrorist efforts,” CENTCOM said. “The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis.”
The Houthi authorities said that 38 civilians were killed, including five paramedics, and 102 more were injured. The majority of the victims were reportedly port workers.
“We affirm Yemen’s legal right to defend itself, and this crime will not go unpunished,” the Houthi authorities said, according to the TV channel Al-Masirah.
Hours after the strikes, the Israel Defense Forces said they had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen on Friday morning.
The Houthis control the western part of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa, and the port of Hodeidah. Since 2023, the group has been firing kamikaze drones and missiles at commercial ships in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis also launched ballistic missiles at Israel, saying they would stop the attacks once Israel ends its campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Last month, US President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to step up strikes in Yemen, warning that the Houthis would be “completely annihilated” unless they cease targeting shipping. The group, however, vowed not to bow to pressure. The Houthis have since claimed attacks on US warships patrolling the Red Sea area. On April 1, the militants reported shooting down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
