Deadliest US strike in Yemen kills 80, Houthis say
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A drone view shows charred vehicles standing in the aftermath of what Al Masirah TV said was a US strike on the Ras Isa fuel port, Al Jazirah, Yemen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON - US strikes on a Yemeni fuel port killed at least 80 people, Houthi rebels said on April 18, in the deadliest attack of Washington’s 15-month campaign against the Iran-backed group.
The strikes on Ras Issa aimed to cut off supplies and funds for the rebels that control large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, the US military said.
Images broadcast by a Houthi-run television channel showed large blazes lighting up the night sky following the latest in an intensified barrage of attacks under US President Donald Trump.
Houthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said rescuers were still searching for bodies at the fuel terminal on the Red Sea, suggesting the number of dead could rise.
The rebels’ Al-Masirah TV, citing local officials, said the toll from the strike had “risen to 80 dead and 150 wounded”.
The Houthis later announced missile attacks targeting Israel and two US aircraft carriers. Israel’s military said on April 18 it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
Protesters chanting “Death to America! Death to Israel!” gathered in rebel-held cities around the country, including at a major demonstration in the capital Sanaa.
“The American military buildup and continued aggression against our country will only lead to more counterattack and attack operations, clashes and confrontations,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree told the crowd in Sanaa.
‘Signal to Tehran’
The strikes on April 17 came as the United States prepares to resume negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme in Rome on April 19, following warnings that Tehran is getting closer to building an atomic weapon.
“The military actions in Yemen are clearly sending a signal to Tehran,” Mr Mohammed Albasha, a US-based consultant, told AFP.
The US military has hammered the Houthis with near-daily air strikes for the past month in a bid to stamp out their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Earlier on April 18, when the Ras Issa toll stood at 74, Mr Alasbahi said the overall number of deaths from renewed US strikes since March was 198.
Houthi supporters hold placards and wave flags during a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, in Sana’a, Yemen, on April 18.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Claiming solidarity with Palestinians, the rebels began attacking the key maritime route and Israeli territory after the Gaza war began in October 2023.
They paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire.
In a statement, US Central Command (CentCom) said: “US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Huthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years.”
Al-Masirah TV, citing authorities at the port, said the attack had caused “significant damage” that “will affect navigation and the supply of oil”.
The US strikes began in January 2024 but have multiplied under Mr Trump, starting with an offensive that killed 53 people on March 15.
Footage broadcast early April 18 by Al-Masirah showed a fireball igniting off the coast as thick columns of smoke rose above what appeared to be an ongoing blaze.
The Houthi TV station later screened interviews with survivors lying on stretchers, including one man with burns on his arms.
“We ran away. The strikes came one after the other, then everything was on fire,” one man who said he worked at the port told Al-Masirah.
Shipping attacks
Israel carried out air strikes on Ras Issa and elsewhere in Yemen in January, describing the targets as military infrastructure. Similar Israeli strikes that also included Ras Issa took place in September.
Iran called the latest US strikes “barbaric”, while Hamas Palestinian militants denounced them as “blatant aggression”.
The US bombing campaign intensified last month following Huthi threats to resume attacks on international shipping in protest at Israel’s blockade of aid to Gaza.
“The message today is unmistakable: the US is targeting not only Houthi military assets and personnel, but also their economic infrastructure,” Mr Albasha said.
Houthi attacks on the Red Sea shipping route, which normally carries about 12 per cent of global trade, have forced many companies into costly detours around the tip of southern Africa.
Separately, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce accused the Chinese satellite firm Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company of “directly supporting” Huthi attacks on “US interests”.
Mr Bruce did not initially provide details, but later referred to “a Chinese company providing satellite imagery to the Houthis”. AFP
