240203-N-JC256-1072 RED SEA (Feb. 3, 2024) The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conducts flight operations in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi malign behavior in the Red Sea, Feb. 3, 2024. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Janae Chambers)
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – U.S. forces on Thursday struck a major Houthi-controlled fuel port in western Yemen—the first publicly announced airstrike since March—as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to cripple the Iranian-backed group’s ability to threaten Red Sea shipping.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday that American forces carried out a strike on the Houthi-controlled Ras Isa fuel port in western Yemen, targeting a key source of revenue for the Iran-backed terrorist organization.
The move comes in response to ongoing fuel shipments that have continued despite the Houthis’ designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the White House on April 5.
“The Houthis have continued to benefit economically and militarily from countries and companies that provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
“The Iran-backed Houthis use fuel to sustain their military operations, as a weapon of control, and to benefit economically from embezzling the profits from the import. This fuel should be legitimately supplied to the people of Yemen.”
U.S. officials emphasized that the strike was designed to degrade the Houthis’ economic power without harming civilians.
“Today, U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” CENTCOM stated.
“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.”
CENTCOM warned that continued support for the Houthis would not go unanswered.
“The Houthis, their Iranian masters, and those who knowingly aid and abet their terrorist actions should be put on notice that the world will not accept illicit smuggling of fuel and war material to a terrorist organization,” the statement concluded.
The U.S. military strikes on the Houthis were accompanied by new sanctions from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control against the International Bank of Yemen (IBY) and three top officials—Kamal Hussain Al Jebry, Ahmed Thabit Noman Al-Absi, and Abdulkader Ali Bazara—- for financially supporting the terrorist organization.
“The designation of IBY complements the ‘whole of government’ effort to stop Iran-backed Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Treasury officials stated.
Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender added, “Banks like IBY are crucial to Houthi efforts to access the world’s financial system and threaten both regional and international commerce.”
The International Bank of Yemen enabled the Houthis to access the SWIFT network for international transactions, allowing them to purchase oil, evade sanctions, and seize assets from opponents, according to Treasury officials.
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