U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday the destruction of Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen, the Houthi-controlled sea port.
In a statement, CENTCOM said “The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import. This fuel should be legitimately supplied to the people of Yemen”, adding “Despite the Foreign Terrorist Designation that went into effect on 05 April, ships have continued to supply fuel via the port of Ras Isa.”
CENTCOM statement said “The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis, who continue to exploit and bring great pain upon their fellow countrymen, and that this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen”.
Media reports suggested that Ras Isa strike killed more than 70 people and wounded many others, marking a major escalation in the military campaign President Donald Trump launched against the Houthi rebels.
The overnight strike on the Ras Isa port, according to media reports, sent massive fireballs billowing skyward and turned tanker trucks into burning wrecks. It was the first American attack on a Houthi-controlled oil facility in the new U.S. bombing campaign. It also came just before the resumption of negotiations in Rome between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Washington has linked to its attacks in Yemen.
The port is a major hub for incoming fuel shipments that power areas of Yemen held by the Houthis, and analysts say the airstrike could seriously affect daily life there.
The Houthis, who said the attack killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others, aired graphic footage of the aftermath on their al-Masirah satellite news channel, showing corpses strewn about the port and smashed tanker trucks. They denounced the strike as a “completely unjustified aggression.”