By Nadine Osman
(Al-Masirah TV, CBS News, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC, AA, and The Muslim News):
At least 74 people, including five health workers, were killed in a series of US airstrikes targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal in Yemen’s Al-Ḥudaydah province late Thursday, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Another 171 were wounded in the attack, with civil defence teams continuing rescue and recovery operations amid fires and heavy structural damage at the site.
It was the deadliest known attack since President Donald Trump ordered an intensification of the US bombing campaign last month in response to Houthi [Ansar Allah] attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel, linked to the Gaza war. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the strikes, stating that they destroyed a key fuel port used by the Ḥouthī movement. The operation, it said, was intended to disrupt what it described as an illicit source of revenue and logistics that enables the Ḥouthīs to carry out attacks across the region.
“Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Ḥouthī terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Ḥouthī efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM also claimed that the Ḥouthīs use fuel “to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import,” adding that the intent of the operation was to degrade military capabilities, not harm civilians.
However, harrowing scenes from the ground suggest otherwise. Videos from the strike site show destroyed fuel tankers, massive explosions, and charred bodies being pulled from the wreckage, with survivors covered in burns and ash. One witness, who claimed to be a worker at the terminal, described fleeing from the strikes as they came in quick succession.
“There are bodies still under the rubble, and the hospitals cannot cope,” said one volunteer medic, speaking to Al Jazeera. “We are seeing scenes we haven’t witnessed even during the worst of the war.”
The Ḥouthīs condemned the attack as a war crime, insisting that the Ras Isa terminal was a civilian facility, not a military target.
“We affirm that the targeting of the Ras Isa oil port is a full-fledged war crime,” the Houthi-led government in the north-west said. They further accused the US of escalating tensions in the Red Sea.
In a statement, Houthi spokesperson Mohammed ‘Abd al-Salām warned, “This American-Zionist escalation will not go unanswered,” vowing retaliation.
The casualties from the attack include many workers at the Ras Isa terminal, and several paramedics were killed in secondary strikes as they arrived on-site to aid the wounded. Eyewitnesses reported at least ten bodies lying near burning fuel tankers, including a driver and other men with serious burns.
Shortly after the airstrike, the Israeli military reported intercepting a missile launched from Yemen, although no casualties or damage were reported. This missile launch aligns with the broader Houthi strategy of targeting Israeli interests, as part of their support for Palestinians in the ongoing conflict with Gaza.
The Ḥouthīs have vowed to continue their operations in retaliation, claiming responsibility for nearly 80 operations involving missiles and drones since mid-March, including strikes on the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and various Israeli targets.
The United Nations reiterated its calls for restraint, urging the protection of civilians and warning against further escalation that could threaten regional stability. The UN’s Stéphane Dujarric stressed the need for sustained efforts toward a peaceful resolution in Yemen.
Iran strongly condemned the strikes, calling them “barbaric,” while humanitarian agencies warned that Yemen’s already fragile healthcare system would struggle to cope with the influx of casualties. “Yemen’s healthcare system is hanging by a thread,” an MSF representative stated.
Meanwhile, Houthi supporters took to the streets in San’aa, condemning the US strikes, with some carrying guns and waving flags in protest.
Photo: Mourners, including civilians and soldiers, attend the funeral of victims killed in US airstrikes on the Al-Suhaili family residence in San’aa’s Sawan district, held at Al Sha’ab Mosque on April 17, 2025. (Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency)
