Yemen’s Houthis vow to continue attacks after more than 70 killed in US airstrikes on port
The death toll from US airstrikes on an oil port in western Yemen has risen to at least 74 people, the Houthi-run health ministry reported, marking the deadliest day since the United States escalated its aerial campaign against the Iran-backed group last month.
US Central Command said Thursday the strikes on Ras Isa fuel port in Hodeidah province were aimed at cutting off revenue to the Houthis, adding the port has been used as a source of illicit profits to the group.
“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,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “This strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”
The fatalities included workers at the port and paramedics, the health ministry said on Friday, adding that some 171 people were wounded.
CNN reached out to the Pentagon for comment regarding the reported toll and was directed to CENTCOM’s earlier statement.
Houthi rebels vowed on Friday to continue their military operations against Israel and US forces in the region.
“Yemen will not back down from continuing its support operations for the Palestinian people until the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted,” the Houthi-controlled armed forces in Yemen said in a statement.
The militant group said the US “aggression” against Yemen would “only lead to further targeting, engagement, and confrontation.”
The Houthis shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone on Friday, the sixth since March 3, US officials told CNN. Each MQ-9 costs about $30 million, the officials added, and the US only has a few more than 200 of the sophisticated drones in its arsenal.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his grave concerns about the US strikes, which caused “scores of civilian casualties,” including injuring five humanitarian workers, according to his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. He called on Houthi rebels to halt their “ongoing” attacks against Israel and in Red Sea “immediately,” he said in a Saturday statement.
Since mid-March, US airstrikes have pounded Houthi targets in Yemen, hitting oil refineries, airports and missile sites, with US President Donald Trump vowing to use “overwhelming force” until the US achieves its goal of stopping the Houthis from targeting shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthis have launched numerous missiles against Israel and disrupted shipping in the Red Sea in attacks they say are in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s war in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Video aired on Al-Masirah shows the injured receiving treatment at a hospital after dawn, many with visible burns to their bodies.
“Multiple air raids targeted the area,” a man who identified himself as a civil defense worker told Al-Masirah as he lay on an examination table, breathing heavily. “I found myself falling on the ground as a rocket hit.”
Another survivor at the hospital described the moment the port was struck.
“One strike after another, the whole area was lit on fire,” he told Al-Masirah. “When we managed to leave the area, we saw the place where we were hiding earlier getting struck too.”
The US says its campaign is working. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that multiple Houthi leaders had been killed.
CNN earlier reported that the total cost of the US military’s operation against Houthi militants in Yemen neared $1 billion in three weeks, according to three people briefed on the campaign, but the attacks had so far had limited impact on the group’s capabilities.
While as many as 80 Houthi military officers may have been killed, according to analysts, the senior echelon of its military and political leadership appears intact. So are at least some of its missile-launching sites.
On Monday, the Houthi-run health ministry said US attacks had killed at least 123 people, including women and children, and injured 247 others since March 15, the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have continued to launch more than a dozen ballistic missiles at Israel, and barrages of drones and missiles at US navy ships. While none caused major damage, the threat remains.
Early Friday, Israel’s military said it intercepted a missile from Yemen. No injuries were reported, Israel’s emergency service said.
