US strike on Yemen fuel port kills at least 38, Houthi media say

U.S. strikes on the Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen killed at least 38 people on Thursday, Houthi-run media said, one of the deadliest days since the United States began its attacks on the Iran-backed militants.

Al Masirah TV said the strikes, which the U.S. military said aimed to cut off a source of fuel for the Houthi militant group, also wounded 102 people.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the death toll given by the Houthis.

"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 U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.

The United States began large-scale strikes last month against the Houthis, saying it would not stop unless they ceased 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 to resume strikes after Israel renewed its assault on Gaza last month, they have not claimed any since.

Thursday's attack is one of the deadliest since the United States 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 U.S. attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.