74 killed in US strikes on Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port

SANAA(Yemen): Air strikes carried out by the United States on Thursday at Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port resulted in at least 74 fatalities, marking one of the deadliest attacks by US forces on the country, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

The group’s Health Ministry spokesman, Anees Alasbah, said on Friday that the strikes carried out on Thursday also wounded 171 people.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the strikes were aimed at cutting off the Houthis’ fuel and revenue sources, describing the operation as an effort to target the economic power of the Iran-backed group.

In a post on social media on Thursday, CENTCOM said, “Today, US forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists. The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis.”

Earlier, the US military’s attack on Ras Isa port had killed at least 38, while about 102 have also been injured, Hodeidah’s health office reported.

Meanwhile, Mark Carney, Canada’s Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Party, had called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to end its weeks-long blockade and allow humanitarian aid to enter the besieged enclave.

“We need to work with our international partners [to exert] maximum pressure, maximum encouragement for an immediate ceasefire [in Gaza],” he said, speaking as the leaders of Canada’s four major parties squared off in their final debate ahead of the country’s general election later this month.

Posting on X, Carney also called for “the release of all hostages” and “more humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza,” as well as a “lasting two-state solution.”

Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 51,065 Palestinians have been confirmed dead and 1,16,505 have been injured in Israel’s war on Gaza since it began 18 months ago, as per Al Jazeera.

The Gaza Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)