Death toll rises to 80 as US strikes obliterates Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel port, Houthis vow to retaliate

The death toll in the US strike on Yemen's Ras Isa fuel port rose to 80 as rescue workers struggled to take hold of the situation. The toll was confirmed by the Houthi-run health ministry, which included civilians and rescue workers. The Friday incident has now become the deadliest attack since Washington launched its campaign against the Iran-backed militant group.

The rebels’ Al-Masirah TV, citing local officials, said the toll from the strike had “risen to 80 dead and 150 wounded”. Ras Isa fuel port, where the attack took place, was touted as a major economic site in Yemen. Analysts believe that the attack sends a message to Iran as the country already receives mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump over its nuclear programme .

Soon after coming back to the White House, Trump threatened to “annihilate” Yemen’s Houthis after the group conducted several attacks on the Red Sea as a protest against Israel’s military operation in Gaza. Earlier this year, the Trump administration’s first strike on the Yemeni group drew backlash after its plans were shared on a Signal chat group , which later got leaked to the public.

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Houthis vow to fight back

Soon after the attack, Houthis released a statement in which the group vowed to fight back. In the immediate aftermath, the Iran-backed group said that it had targeted two US aircraft carriers and a military site near Israel’s main airport.

“The American military buildup and continued aggression against our country will only lead to more counterattacks and attack operations, clashes and confrontations,” the Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree told a rebel-organised protest in the capital, Sana’a. According to The Guardian, the US strikes hit several areas but were mostly concentrated around the port facility. Hence, the dead included truck drivers and emergency responders.

It is pertinent to note that the Ras Isa terminal has a storage capacity of 3 million barrels and was the first port built for oil exports from Yemen, about 40 years ago. The US has vowed to keep attacking Yemen’s Houthis, in its biggest military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January, unless the Houthis cease attacks on Red Sea shipping.

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Meanwhile, Iran called the Friday attack “barbaric” while Hamas denounced the strikes as “blatant aggression”. Hours after the US strike, Israel’s military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. However, the experts are now questioning the practicality of the US war aims in Yemen .

With inputs from agencies.