April 18, 2025 — Sana’a, Yemen
Houthi officials have reported that at least 58 people have been killed following a series of U.S. airstrikes on a key port facility under their control in Yemen. The strikes, which took place late Wednesday night, targeted what the U.S. military described as “Houthi military infrastructure and weapons storage facilities” near the strategic Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
The attack marks one of the deadliest escalations in the ongoing confrontation between the U.S. and the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which has intensified its operations in the region amid the wider fallout of Middle East conflicts.
According to a statement released by the Houthi-run health ministry, the majority of the casualties were port workers and civilians living near the targeted sites. Dozens more are said to be injured, with several in critical condition.
“The American aggression has directly targeted civilian infrastructure and innocent lives,” a Houthi spokesperson said in a televised address. “This is a blatant act of war, and it will not go unanswered.”
The U.S. Department of Defense has acknowledged carrying out “precision strikes” in Yemen but has not confirmed the reported number of casualties. A senior Pentagon official stated that the targets were “carefully selected based on intelligence” to disrupt Houthi operations that have repeatedly threatened international shipping in the Red Sea.
In recent months, the Houthis have been accused of launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a crucial maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The U.S. and its allies have deployed naval assets to the region in response, citing the need to secure global trade routes.
Human rights groups have expressed growing concern over the rising civilian toll of such operations. “Even if military objectives are stated, the obligation to protect civilian lives and infrastructure remains paramount,” said Layla Mahfouz, a regional analyst with the International Crisis Monitoring Group.
The latest airstrikes have further strained hopes for renewed peace talks in Yemen, where years of conflict between Houthi forces and the internationally recognized government — supported by a Saudi-led coalition — have left the country in a protracted humanitarian crisis.
As emergency responders continue to sift through rubble at the port site, local hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed. Houthi officials have called on international organizations to provide urgent medical assistance and to condemn what they describe as “a massacre orchestrated under the guise of self-defense.”
The situation remains fluid, and further retaliatory actions are anticipated as tensions soar between the parties involved. The United Nations has urged all sides to exercise restraint and to avoid any steps that could worsen the already dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen.
