The U.S. military says it has destroyed the Houthi-controlled port of Ras Isa in Yemen to prevent the group from benefiting from the movement of various kinds of fuel through its facilities.
U.S. Central Command issued a statement declaring the “destruction” of Ras Isa (also sometimes written Ras Issa) earlier today, which did not provide details about the scale and scope of the strikes on the port. At the time of writing, American authorities do not appear to have released any imagery from the operation. This looks to be the first time the U.S. military has publicized the destruction of a major facility in Yemen.
Imagery emerging online, seen in the social media posts below, shows what are said to be fuel storage facilities ablaze in the aftermath of the U.S. strikes.
“The Houthis have continued to benefit economically and militarily from countries and companies that provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import,” the CENTCOM statement reads. “This fuel should be legitimately supplied to the people of Yemen.
“Despite the Foreign Terrorist Designation that went into effect on 05 April, ships have continued to supply fuel via the port of Ras Isa. Profits from these illegal sales are directly funding and sustaining Houthi terrorist efforts. Today, 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 terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” it continues. “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 Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization.”
The full extent of the damage to Ras Isa, as well as any ships in the port at the time, and if there have been any casualties from the U.S. strikes, is all unclear. Israeli forces have also targeted the port, as well as others in Yemen under Houthi control, in the past.
The strikes on Ras Isa are part of a renewed aerial offensive against the Houthis that President Donald Trump’s administration launched last month. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has previously said that “the campaign will be unrelenting” until the Iranian-backed Yemeni militants cease their attacks on commercial vessels and foreign warships in and around the Red Sea. U.S. naval forces, including aircraft from two carrier strike groups and cruise missile-armed warships, as well as land-based combat jets operating in the region and B-2 stealth bombers forward deployed on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, have been taking part in the operation.
The Houthis have been launching attacks using ballistic and cruise missiles, kamikaze drones, explosive-laden uncrewed boats, and other weapons against commercial vessels and foreign warships in the region, as well as on targets in Israel, on and off since October 2023. The Yemeni militants say their campaign is in retaliation for Israeli operations against the Palestinians following the large-scale terrorist attacks launched from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023.
The U.S. government also imposed new sanctions today on the International Bank of Yemen over financial support for the Houthis.
Rendering Ras Isa unusable for any protracted period of time could also have humanitarian implications, as the port is one of the primary points of entry into the country for fuel that average Yemenis rely on.
The new U.S. strikes on Ras Isa also now come amid the start of new negotiations between the United States and Iran over the latter country’s nuclear ambitions.
How the Houthis, or their allies in Tehran, respond to the latest strikes on Ras Isa remains to be seen.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com