Houthis say US strikes killed at least 74 at Yemen's Ras Isa port

The US military said its latest attack was intended to deprive the rebel group of revenue

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US air strikes have destroyed Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen, with the Houthi rebels claiming on Friday that at least 74 people were killed in one of the deadliest American attacks on assets controlled by the Iran-backed group.

“Ships have continued to supply fuel via the port of Ras Isa. Profits from these illegal sales are directly funding and sustaining Houthi terrorist efforts,” the US Central Command said in a statement titled Destruction of Houthi Controlled Ras Isa Fuel Port.

“US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years.”

According to Houthi authorities, at least “74 workers and employees were killed and 171 others injured in a preliminary toll of the US aggression” on the oil facility.

The rebels claimed the US strikes hit the oil port in two waves, the second of which occurred while rescue and ambulance teams were working to extinguish the fires and retrieve victims, resulting in the death of five paramedics.

The Houthis threatened to respond to the attack, which they said was a “war crime” because the port is a civilian, not a military, facility that “serves all Yemenis”.

The destruction of the oil port could have devastating consequences for Yemen, which is already facing severe hunger conditions, because the majority of oil and goods enter the country through the two ports controlled by the rebels on the western coast.

Rebel-held areas of Yemen have been hit with near-daily US strikes since President Donald Trump launched an air campaign against the Houthis on March 15 in response to the group's threats on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Washington has been increasing pressure against Iran and the Houthis in recent weeks while also talking to Tehran about its nuclear programme. Iran and the US are due to hold a second round of indirect talks on Saturday, with discussions expected to hinge on whether the US will allow Iran to continue enriching uranium in any capacity.

The Houthis launched an armed rebellion in 2014, seizing control of Yemen's capital Sanaa and several provinces, including in the west where they control the port of Hodeidah and Ras Isa. Since November 2023, the group has attacked shipping lanes with missiles and drones, in what they say is to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Gaza war.

Hours before the US strikes on the fuel port, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al Houthi declared that the “US aggression has failed” and vowed to continue attacks in the Red Sea and against Israel, which on Friday said it had intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen.

Earlier on Thursday, the US issued new sanctions against the International Bank of Yemen, referring to its financial support for the Houthis, the Treasury Department said.

This designation of the bank complements a government effort “to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea”, the department said.