23 hours ago
1
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
President Trump has vowed the Iran-backed Houthi militia will be “completely annihilated.” But forceful American strikes do not seem to have deterred the Yemeni fighters.
April 18, 2025, 8:07 a.m. ET
The latest round of United States airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen have killed dozens of people in bombardments targeting a port in the country’s northwest, according to the Iran-backed militia.
The strikes late on Thursday were part of an escalating campaign by the Trump administration against the Yemeni militia. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the nearby Red Sea and firing rockets and drones at Israel in a campaign that it says is in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The American bombardment targeted the port of Ras Isa, a major fuel depot in the Houthi-controlled province of Hudaydah. At least 38 people were killed and more than 100 injured, said Anees al-Asbahi, the spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry. The toll could not be independently verified.
President Trump has expanded efforts by the Biden administration to degrade the Houthis, vowing that they will be “completely annihilated.”
But the increasingly forceful U.S. strikes on the Houthis have yet to deter them from carrying out further attacks. Instead, the Houthis have said that they would welcome a war with the U.S., their declared enemy.
Experts have also warned that attacking ports like Ras Isa could worsen the already dire conditions in Yemen. The United Nations has described the humanitarian crisis in the country as the world’s largest, with about 80 percent of the population in need of essential aid.
English (US)