Houthis report over 20 killed in US strikes on Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — US airstrikes targeting the Ras Isa oil port held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed 20 people and wounded 50 others, the group says early Friday.

The strikes, confirmed by the US Military’s Central Command, represent one of the highest reported death tolls so far in the campaign launched under President Donald Trump that has involved hundreds of strikes since March 15.

The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel airs graphic footage of the aftermath of the attack, showing corpses strewn across the site. It says paramedic and civilians workers at the port had been killed in the attack, which sparked a massive explosion and fires.

In a statement, Central Command says that “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.”

“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,” it addd. It doesn’t acknowledge any casualties.