Deadliest US Strike in Yemen Kills 74 at Oil Terminal

A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthis-run al-Masirah TV shows flames and smoke rising from the fuel port of Ras Isa following US airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 18 April 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthis-run al-Masirah TV shows flames and smoke rising from the fuel port of Ras Isa following US airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 18 April 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
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Deadliest US Strike in Yemen Kills 74 at Oil Terminal

A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthis-run al-Masirah TV shows flames and smoke rising from the fuel port of Ras Isa following US airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 18 April 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT
A handout screen grab taken from a video released by Houthis-run al-Masirah TV shows flames and smoke rising from the fuel port of Ras Isa following US airstrikes, in the port province of Hodeidah, Yemen, 18 April 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS AL-MASIRSAH TV / HANDOUT

US strikes on Yemen's Ras Isa fuel terminal on the Red Sea coast have killed at least 74 people in the deadliest attack since the US started its bombing campaign against the Houthis last year, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.

US President Donald Trump ordered the intensification of strikes last month in the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since he took office in January. Washington has vowed to keep attacking the Iran-aligned Houthis until the group halts attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Health ministry spokesperson Anees al-Asbahi said 171 people were injured in Thursday's strikes, according to preliminary figures, with rescue teams continuing efforts to search for victims.

The US military said the strikes aimed to cut off a source of fuel for the Houthi militant group. The port has a heavy military presence in addition to being a primary hub for fuel imports, Yemeni sources said.

Among the dead were employees of Safer Oil Company, which operates the port, and the Yemen Petroleum Company, responsible for overseeing imported fuel shipments and their distribution, the sources added.

US Central Command did not comment on the health ministry's casualty figure.

"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," it had said in a post on X.

The US and Israel have previously targeted the port, viewing it as a hub for launching drones, missiles, and attacks on ships.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, saying they were targeting ships linked to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians over the war in Gaza.

Ras Isa terminal, about which is about 55 km (35 miles) north of the port city of Hodeidah, has a storage capacity of 3 million barrels.

Fuel import taxes bring in hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the Houthi administration, sources said.

The Houthis halted attacks on shipping lanes during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza. Although they vowed to resume strikes after Israel renewed its assault on the enclave last month, they have not struck targets in the Red Sea since then.

In March, two days of US attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.