US conducts fresh airstrikes on Yemen as Houthi leader threatens retaliation

Sanaa, April 19 (IANS) The US army launched 29 airstrikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen on Saturday, while Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, vowed to retaliate.

According to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the pre-dawn US raids hit several locations in and around the capital Sanaa, as well as the provinces of Saada and Al-Jawf. No casualties have been reported yet as the Houthi group rarely discloses its losses.

The fresh airstrikes followed a deadly series of US attacks on Thursday night, which targeted and destroyed the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port and concrete tanks storing imported fuel. According to the latest update from Houthi-run health authorities early Saturday, at least 80 people were killed and 150 others wounded.

Many of the wounded were said to be in critical condition, and the death toll is expected to rise. Among the casualties were port workers and five paramedics, who were killed in a second wave of airstrikes while arriving on ambulances to assist the wounded, Xinhua news agency reported.

This marks the deadliest US raid since Washington resumed airstrikes against Houthi targets in mid-March 2025. The destruction of the Ras Isa port, located just northwest of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, represents a significant blow to the Houthis, as it is a vital source of fuel for the areas they control.

The US attack has sparked widespread condemnation from Iran and various human rights organisations. The Houthi group also issued a strong condemnation, pledging to retaliate if the airstrikes persist.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior figure within the group, was quoted by al-Masirah TV as saying: "We will have no red line. Any American interest in the Middle East, when the time comes, we will strike and bomb it. We will not stand idly by." He referred to US-related targets in the region, including oil fields in the Gulf, shipping lanes, and US aircraft carriers and warships in the Red and Arabian seas.

The US Central Command said in a statement on social media platform X on Thursday that it struck and destroyed Ras Isa "to eliminate this source of fuel for" and "degrade the economic source of power" of the Houthis.

The escalation comes after US President Donald Trump's administration designated the Houthi group as a "foreign terrorist organisation" on March 4. This move followed a series of attacks by the Houthis on Israel and commercial vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, which began shortly after the outbreak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza in late 2023.

On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching a ballistic missile at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, which was reportedly intercepted by Israeli defence systems. They also claimed to have targeted US aircraft carriers, including the USS Harry S Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, with ballistic and cruise missiles. The US military has not commented on these allegations, though the US Central Command previously dismissed claims of attacks on the Truman as "outlandish."

Tensions between the Houthis and the Trump administration have intensified since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15. The strikes were aimed at deterring the group from attacking Israel and US warships.

The Houthis have said that their attacks are intended to pressure US-backed Israel to halt its offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid into the enclave. They have also framed their actions as a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

--IANS

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