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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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A Houthi media channel has published a video of what it said was a port ablaze after strikes by U.S. aircraft. It showed fireballs, a plume of dark smoke and destruction on the ground.
Newsweek has reached out to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Houthi officials for comment.
Why It Matters
The latest airstrikes come a month after President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthis, who were threatening the disruption of shipping in the vital Red Sea route as they had done since Hamas and Israel went to war in the Gaza Strip in 2023.
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The attack on Ras Isa Fuel Port marked a widening of the U.S. bombing campaign, which had previously targeted Houthi forces and their command centers elsewhere in Yemen.
What To Know
Video footage captured multiple blasts in what the Houthi-owned Al-Massirah TV Channel said was "preliminary footage from the crime of American aggression" on Thursday night.
Newsweek could not independently verify the video or the details of what had happened.
The Houthis said Friday that the strikes killed at least 38 port workers and employees and injured another 102, according to the same channel.
CENTCOM said it had struck the port "to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis."
Trump ordered the military operation against the terrorist-designated Yemeni organization on March 15. The Trump administration has also sanctioned companies across the globe alleged to provide support for the Houthis.
Trump pledged to eliminate the group and warned Iran against supporting it. Iran has condemned the U.S. military campaign in Yemen, stating the group operates independently.
The Houthis have claimed multiple attacks on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea and on Israel, but with no reported damage.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on X: "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. This strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen, who rightly want to throw off the yoke of Houthi subjugation and live peacefully."
The Yemeni Houthi group in statement reported by The Associated Press: "This completely unjustified aggression represents a flagrant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and independence and a direct targeting of the entire Yemeni people. It targets a vital civilian facility that has served the Yemeni people for decades."
Fatima Abo Alasrar, researcher and guest contributor in The Middle East Institute on X: "The Houthis got rich off Ras Isa while the world insisted it was a blockade. It would've been easier to enforce one than to bomb the port outright. Now it's gone, and Yemenis are still the ones paying."
What Happens Next
As well as further airstrikes, media have reported on the possibility of a land offensive by forces of the government of Yemen, which is internationally recognized.
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