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US strike on Yemen fuel port kills nearly 40

By AAP Newswire

Apr 18, 2025

US airstrikes kill at least 22 in Yemen — The US says it won't stop striking the Houthis unless they cease their attacks on Red Sea shipping. -EPA

US strikes on the Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen have killed at least 38 people, Houthi-run media says, marking one of the deadliest days since the US began its attacks on the Iran-backed militants.

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Al Masirah TV said the strikes, which the United States military said were carried out to cut off a source of fuel for the Houthi militant group, also wounded 102 people.

"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," the US Central Command said on X.

The US in March began large-scale strikes against the Houthis, saying it won't stop unless they cease their attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on vessels transiting the waterway, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel in protest over the war in Gaza.

They halted attacks on shipping lanes during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza. Although they vowed in March to resume strikes after Israel renewed its assault on Gaza, they have not claimed any since.

Thursday's attack is one of the deadliest since the US launched airstrikes against the Houthis in its biggest military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January.

In March, two days of US attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press