US forces destroy Houthi-controlled fuel port in Yemen – key source of revenue’ for the terror group
US military strikes destroyed a major fuel port in Yemen Thursday that served as a key source of “illegal revenue” for Houthi terrorists, according to US Central Command.
The airstrikes targeted the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which the US military said the Iran-backed terror group has used to “sustain their military operations.”
“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,” read a statement released by CENTCOM.
“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,” the statement continued. “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.”
Multiple raging fires and at least one dead body could be seen at the port in graphic video posted on social media, purportedly showing the aftermath of the strike.
The attack killed at least 38 people and wounded 102, Houthi-run media said, according to Reuters.
The US began carrying out military operations against Houthi positions in Yemen last month in response to the Iran-backed militia’s frequent attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
President Trump signed an executive order in January re-designating the Houthis as a foreign terror organization. The Biden administration had removed the label from the Houthis in February 2021.
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last month, when the bombing campaign began.
The president noted that the “relentless assaults have cost the US and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”
CENTCOM said the strike on the fuel port should serve as a warning to “the Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions.”
“[T]he world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization,” CENTCOM declared.
