The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Thursday that American forces destroyed the Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen, a facility under the control of the Houthi rebels, whom Washington designates as terrorists and who are backed by Iran.
“Today, U.S. forces eliminated a key fuel source used by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists, cutting off illicit revenue that has funded their campaign of terror across the region for over a decade,” CENTCOM stated in an official post on X. According to the statement, the operation aimed to “undermine the enemy’s economic power,” as President Donald Trump had previously announced.
CENTCOM said the Houthis have benefited both economically and militarily from the support of foreign countries and companies, despite being labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S. Much of this support comes from manipulating fuel imports, the profits of which—rather than benefiting the Yemeni population—have been used to maintain social control.
“The oil was meant to be distributed legitimately to the people, but it was turned into a weapon to dominate Yemeni society,” CENTCOM added. The U.S. agency warned that “the world cannot accept the illicit smuggling of fuel and weapons to a terrorist organization.”
This offensive follows Trump’s recent announcement of a policy shift regarding Yemen, in which he ordered maximum pressure on the rebels to weaken their offensive capabilities.
According to Houthi spokesperson Abdelmalek al-Houthi, the U.S. has carried out more than 900 attacks on Houthi positions in the past month, including 220 just this week. The operations include both airstrikes—using B-2 bombers, F-18 jets, and other warplanes—and naval strikes.
In parallel, the White House ordered the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the region on Tuesday, in response to both the clashes with the Houthis and rising tensions amid nuclear negotiations with Iran and Israeli offensives in Gaza.
Satellite images confirmed the presence of the USS Carl Vinson operating northwest of Socotra Island, near the entrance to the Gulf of Aden. The carrier is accompanied by the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and the USS William P. Lawrence. This fleet is now supporting the USS Harry S. Truman in strikes against Houthi targets.
Despite the ongoing military actions, Al-Houthi claimed that the U.S. strategy has failed and will continue to do so. He also alleged that his forces have delivered significant blows to both American capabilities and Israeli territory, though he provided no evidence to support these claims.
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