The US air strikes on the Port of Ras Isa oil in Yemen killed at least 74 people and injured more than 100, according to the Houthis supported by Iran, in what seems to be the deadliest of this type since President Donald Trump launched a new military campaign against the rebels last month.
The Houthis, who have published graphic images of the consequences, said the strike was targeting civilian workers. The explosion engulfed the installation in flames and sent balls of fire in the sky.
In a statement published on Friday, the US central command defended the attack, saying that the American forces had learned to “eliminate this fuel source for Houthi terrorists supported by Iran and deprive them of illegal income which funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the whole region for more than 10 years.”
The Pentagon did not comment on civilian victims and refused to answer questions from the media.
The Ras Isa strike, located in the Western province of Yemen, represents a major escalation in a campaign that started on March 15. However, neither the number of strikes nor the complete toll was publicly disclosed.
The Port Ras Isa is the end of a keyword from Marib, a region held from the government rich in energy resources. Although oil exports have stopped due to the current civil war, the Houthis would have used installation to import fuel for years.
Yemen analyst Mohammed Al-Basha said that Ras Isa's strike was the “first Casualty mass incident that the Houthis had openly recognized and published”.
He contrasting it with previous strikes, one of which could have killed up to 70 Houthi fighters, whose group remained silent.
“This completely unjustified assault represents a blatant violation of the sovereignty and independence of Yemen and a direct targeting of the whole of the Yemeni people,” the Houthis said in a press release published by the news agency Saba.
“He targets a vital vital establishment that served the Yemeni people for decades,” they added.
The US State Department warned on April 9 that it would sanction any country or company providing support for Houthis, including through oil deliveries in the ports controlled by Houthi.
Later Friday, the Houthis would have launched a missile to Israel, which was intercepted by Israeli forces.
Chinese involvement allegations
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to draw larger world powers. The United States Chinese firm accused Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. To have helped the Houthis by providing satellite images to support their attacks against American ships in the Red Sea.
The spokesman for the US State Department, Tammy Bruce, described him to “directly support the Houthi terrorist attacks supported by Iran against American interests”.
“Beijing's support for this company, the satellite company, even after having discussions with them on this subject, certainly contradicts their claims to be supporters of peace,” added Bruce.
ADVERTISEMENTChang Guang, who had already been sanctioned by the American Treasury in 2023 for having given satellite images to the Wagner group of Russia, did not respond to the new allegations.
The Houthis who are ideologically aligned with the militant group based in Gaza Hamas have repeatedly targeted the ships in the Red Sea which, according to them, are linked to Israel.
The American campaign does not show any indication of slowdown, as the Trump administration has also linked its air strikes to the Houthis to wider efforts to exert pressure on Iran on its rapidly growing nuclear program.
A second series of negotiations between Iran and the United States is expected to take place on Saturday in Rome.
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