U.S. airstrikes targeting western Yemen oil port kill dozens

U.S. airstrikes targeting western Yemen oil port kill dozens
by Darryl Coote
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 18, 2025

The U.S. military attacked an oil port in western Yemen, killing dozens of people as the Trump administration continues to intensify its strikes against the Houthi rebels.

Houthi-aligned news organization Al-Masirah reported Friday that 38 people were killed and another 100 were injured in the U.S. airstrikes, making it one of the deadliest U.S. attacks in Yemen amid the Trump administration's campaign against the Houthis that began in mid-March.

The U.S. attack consisted of at least 14 airstrikes on the Ras Isa Fuel Port, Al-Masirah reported, citing unnamed local sources. Israel later Friday morning said a missile launched toward it from Yemen had been intercepted.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it conducted airstrikes targeting the Ras Isa Fuel Port on accusations that it was under the control of the Houthi rebels and was supporting the Iran-proxy militia's military operations.

"Today, U.S. 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 terrorize the entire region for over 10 years," CENTCOM said in a statement.

"This strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen, who rightly want to throw off the yoke of Houthi subjugation and live peacefully."

Since Wednesday, the United States has conducted at least 30 airstrikes targeting Houthi infrastructure and leadership in Yemen, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The United States has launched repeated strikes against the Houthis in Yemen since March 15 when CENTCOM announced it had initiated an operation against the designated terrorist organization "in order to restore freedom of navigation."

Since November 2023, the Houthis have enforced a maritime blockade of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, attacking vessels, including U.S. military ships, transiting the important trade route. The Iran-proxy militia states the blockade is in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, more than 51,000 of whom have been killed amid Israel's war against Hamas, another Iran-backed group, which began on Oct. 7, 2023.

In defense attack on the port, CENTCOM said the Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations by leveraging it as a weapon of control and a source of income derived through embezzling profits from imports.

"This fuel should be legitimately supplied to the people of Yemen," CENTCOM said.

On Thursday, the United States sanctioned the International Bank of Yemen and three of its executives, accusing them of permitting the blacklisted Houthis access to the international banking system via its SWIFT, or Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications, network.

Yemen has been submerged in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital of Sana'a. Since then, the Houthis have been fighting the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition forces.