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80 killed in deadliest US attack on Yemen, Huthis say / Photo: © AL-MASIRAH TV/AFP
80 killed in deadliest US attack on Yemen, Huthis say
US strikes on a Yemeni fuel port killed at least 80 people, Huthi rebels said Friday, in the deadliest attack of Washington's 15-month campaign against the Iran-backed group.
The strikes on Ras Issa aimed to cut off supplies and funds for the rebels that control large swathes of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, the US military said.
Images broadcast by a Huthi-run television channel showed large blazes lighting up the night sky following the latest in an intensified barrage of attacks under US President Donald Trump.
Huthi health ministry spokesman Anees Alasbahi said rescuers were still searching for bodies at the fuel terminal on the Red Sea, suggesting the number of dead could rise.
The rebels' Al-Masirah TV, citing local officials, said the toll from the strike had "risen to 80 dead and 150 wounded".
The Huthis later announced missile attacks targeting Israel and two US aircraft carriers. Israel's military said on Friday it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.
Protesters chanting "Death to America! Death to Israel!" gathered in rebel-held cities around the country, including at a major demonstration in the capital Sanaa.
"The American military buildup and continued aggression against our country will only lead to more counterattack and attack operations, clashes and confrontations," Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree told the crowd in Sanaa.
- 'Signal to Tehran' -
The strikes on Thursday came as the United States prepares to resume negotiations with Iran over its nuclear programme in Rome on Saturday, following warnings that Tehran is getting closer to building an atomic weapon.
"The military actions in Yemen are clearly sending a signal to Tehran," Mohammed Albasha, a US-based consultant, told AFP.
The US military has hammered the Huthis with near-daily air strikes for the past month in a bid to stamp out their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Earlier on Friday, when the Ras Issa toll stood at 74, Alabashi said the overall number of deaths from renewed US strikes since March was 198.
Claiming solidarity with Palestinians, the rebels began attacking the key maritime route and Israeli territory after the Gaza war began in October 2023.
They paused their attacks during a recent two-month ceasefire.
In a statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Huthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Huthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years."
Al-Masirah TV, citing authorities at the port, said the attack had caused "significant damage" that "will affect navigation and the supply of oil".
The US strikes began in January 2024 but have multiplied under Trump, starting with an offensive that killed 53 people on March 15.
Footage broadcast early Friday by Al-Masirah showed a fireball igniting off the coast as thick columns of smoke rose above what appeared to be an ongoing blaze.
The Huthi TV station later screened interviews with survivors lying on stretchers, including one man with burns on his arms.
"We ran away. The strikes came one after the other, then everything was on fire," one man who said he worked at the port told Al-Masirah.
- Shipping attacks -
Israel carried out air strikes on Ras Issa and elsewhere in Yemen in January, describing the targets as military infrastructure. Similar Israeli strikes that also included Ras Issa took place in September.
Iran called the latest US strikes "barbaric", while Hamas Palestinian militants denounced them as "blatant aggression".
The US bombing campaign intensified last month following Huthi threats to resume attacks on international shipping in protest at Israel's blockade of aid to Gaza.
"The message today is unmistakable: the US is targeting not only Huthi military assets and personnel, but also their economic infrastructure," Albasha said.
Huthi attacks on the Red Sea shipping route, which normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, have forced many companies into costly detours around the tip of southern Africa.
Separately, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce accused the Chinese satellite firm Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company of "directly supporting" Huthi attacks on "US interests".
Bruce did not initially provide details, but later referred to "a Chinese company providing satellite imagery to the Huthis".
N.Flores--SFF
