SANAA, Apr 20 (NNN-YPA) – The U.S. army launched 29 fresh airstrikes on Houthi targets in northern Yemen early yesterday, 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 U.S. 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 Houthis rarely discloses its losses.
The fresh airstrikes followed a deadly series of U.S. 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 yesterday, 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.
This marks the deadliest U.S. raid since Washington resumed airstrikes against Houthi targets in mid-March 2025. The destruction of the Ras Isa port, located just north-west 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 U.S. attack has sparked widespread condemnation from Iran and various human rights organisations. The Houthis also issued a strong condemnation, pledging to retaliate, if the airstrikes persist.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior figure within the Houthis, 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 U.S.-related targets in the region, including oil fields in the Gulf, shipping lanes, and U.S. aircraft carriers and warships, in the Red and Arabian seas.
The U.S. 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 U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, designated the Houthis 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 U.S. 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 U.S. military has not commented on these allegations, though the U.S. 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 Houthis from attacking Israel and U.S. warships.
The Houthis have said that, their attacks are intended to pressure U.S.-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 the Palestinians in Gaza.– NNN-YPA
