80 killed in deadliest US attack on Yemen, Houthis say
This photo taken from video released by Al Masirah TV channel shows medics carrying a dead person after U.S. airstrikes targeted the Ras Isa oil port held by Yemen's Houthi rebels in Hodeida, Yemen, Friday, April 18, 2025.( Al Masirah TV via AP)
Thursday's 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 Houthi-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.
Houthi media later reported fresh strikes in and around the capital Sanaa on Friday night.
Houthi 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 Houthis 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," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree told the crowd in Sanaa.
SINGAL 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 Houthis 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 Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years."
The US strikes began in January 2024 but have multiplied under Trump, starting with an offensive that killed 53 people on Mar 15.
Footage broadcast early on 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 Houthi 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.
