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The US military strikes the Ras Isa terminal on the Red Sea coast. The aim was to cut the economic heart of the Houthis. Dozens of civilian workers were killed.
US airstrikes on the Ras Isa fuel terminal in Yemen, located near the port city of Hodeidah, killed at least 74 people and injured 171 others, the Yemeni Ministry of Health, controlled by the Houthi group, has reported. This is the largest US strike in terms of casualties since the start of bombing of Houthi targets last year.
This was reported by Reuters.
The largest US military operation in the Middle East since January
The strike on Ras al-Isa came a few weeks after US President Donald Trump ordered an intensified military campaign against the Houthis. Washington has said it will continue the offensive until the Iranian-linked rebels stop attacking international shipping in the Red Sea.
The US military explained the purpose of the operation: to disable a key source of fuel for the Houthis, which meets both civilian and military needs. According to Yemeni sources, the terminal has storage tanks for up to 3 million barrels and annually brings hundreds of millions of dollars to the Houthi administration in the form of import taxes.
“The purpose of the strike is to undermine the economic power of the Houthis, who exploit and hurt their fellow citizens,” the US Central Command said in a statement.
Civilian casualties among oil company employees
Among the dead were employees of Safer Oil Company and Yemen Petroleum Company, responsible for port management and fuel distribution. Search operations are ongoing, as some people are still missing.
Context: why Ras Isa
The port of Ras Isa is a strategic hub that Washington and Israel have repeatedly considered a launching pad for drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Over the past decade, the Houthis have gained control of northern Yemen, including Hodeidah. Since November 2023, they have carried out dozens of attacks on ships they claim are linked to Israel in response to the war in Gaza.
During the two-month ceasefire, the Houthis suspended their attacks, but promised to resume them if Israel resumed its offensive. Despite these statements, there have been no new attacks on shipping.
