Hodeidah (South24 Center)

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On Thursday evening, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike targeting the Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen, a facility controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi militia. The strike killed 38 people and wounded 102 others, according to Houthi-run media.

The operation aimed to halt the flow of illicit fuel that Washington says has been financing the group’s military operations and regional destabilization efforts.

CENTCOM stated that, despite the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation effective since April 5, fuel shipments have continued to arrive via Ras Isa. The Houthis, according to the statement, use the fuel not only to sustain their military campaign but also as a tool of economic control—profiting from embezzled revenues at the expense of ordinary Yemenis.

Yemeni activists circulated footage on social media showing large fires erupting at the port following the U.S. strike. The videos depicted thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky, with several vehicles and what appeared to be fuel storage tanks engulfed in flames.

The Houthis announced on Friday morning that the preliminary death toll from the U.S. strike on the fuel port had reached 38. The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV, citing the Health Office in Hodeidah, added that 102 port workers were wounded in the attack and published footage of some of the victims.

According to Houthi-affiliated media outlets on Thursday, the U.S. carried out around 68 airstrikes over the past 24 hours on various areas under the group’s control.

Houthi leader Abdulmalik Al-Houthi claimed that his forces "continue to confront the American enemy and engage with its aircraft carrier," adding that the group had launched 33 attacks against the USS Harry S. Truman using 122 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. He also claimed that the group had intercepted U.S. aircraft, including stealth planes, in over 11 operations.

"This strike was designed to degrade a key economic enabler of the Houthis," the CENTCOM statement said, emphasizing that the action was not intended to harm civilians but to deprive the group of illicit revenue used to "terrorize the region for over a decade."

In a related development, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Thursday targeting the International Bank of Yemen and three of its senior officials. The bank was accused of facilitating financial transactions for the Houthis, including the purchase of oil through the international SWIFT system.

The Ras Isa terminal has remained a vital channel for the Houthis’ fuel imports, even under international sanctions, and its destruction marks a significant escalation in efforts to curtail the group’s financial networks.

Meanwhile, on the ground in Sout Yemen, Southern forces reportedly repelled a large-scale Houthi attack late Wednesday on the Bab Ghalq front northwest of Al-Dhalea. According to a statement from Southern forces, two soldiers were killed and three others wounded in the clashes, while the Houthis suffered what were described as "heavy losses."