At least 74 people, including five paramedics, were killed by the US bombing of the Ras Isa port in Hodeidah

On Thursday night, the US bombed the Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen’s Red Sea province of Hodeidah, targeting the facility with two attacks that killed dozens of civilian workers and paramedics.

According to Yemen’s Health Ministry, at least 80 people, including at least five paramedics, were killed, and 150 were wounded. The paramedics were hit by a second US attack on the facility that came after rescue workers had already arrived at the scene to help victims of the first strikes (watch graphic footage of the aftermath of the attack here).

While the US has shared virtually no details about its bombing campaign in Yemen since it began on March 15, US Central Command took credit for the attack on the fuel port, which has grave implications for millions of Yemeni civilians who are facing severe food shortages.

CENTCOM justified the strike on vital civilian infrastructure by saying the Houthis, who govern an area where about 80% of Yemenis live, “profit” off fuel that enters the port. CENTCOM did not claim it was targeting a military site.

“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,” CENTCOM said. “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.”

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