US forces strike Yemen oil port in ongoing campaign against Houthis

American forces in the Middle East struck a major oil facility in western Yemen on Thursday — the first publicly acknowledged attack in weeks during the military’s ongoing airstrike campaign against the Houthis.

“Today, U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue,” Central Command said in a statement.

Ras Isa is a critical oil pipeline and port, one of three on the country’s west coast through which the vast majority of imports and humanitarian assistance enter Yemen. Central Command argued the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, which America considers a terrorist group, were using the site as a fuel supply facility and for graft.

“The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of power of the Houthis,” Central Command said.

In mid-March, the U.S. military began an extended bombing campaign against the group, threatening to continue the strikes until the Houthis stop targeting commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, a vital route for global trade.

The Pentagon briefed reporters on the campaign the week it began, but has since refused to comment on the number of strikes, targets or progress toward reopening shipping lanes. The refusal marks a break from the previous year of airstrikes on the Houthis, which Central Command would describe in public releases.

“They’re not going to admit the amount of their casualties or how much of their leadership structure has been decimated, but we know,” Hegseth said of the Houthis last week.

When asked to describe those estimates, Hegseth demurred.

What is clear, however, is America’s recent military buildup in the region. Hegseth has rushed a second carrier strike group , air defense batteries, advanced bombers and fighter jets to the Middle East to aid the campaign and send a message to Iran, which is now joining direct talks with the U.S. on the future of its nuclear program.

Central Command did not disclose the military assets involved in Thursday’s strike nor the number of casualties.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

周四，驻中东美军袭击了也门西部的一处主要石油设施——这是美军持续对胡塞武装进行空袭行动数周以来首次公开承认的袭击。

“今天，美军采取行动，切断了伊朗支持的胡塞武装的这一燃料来源，剥夺了他们的非法收入，”中央司令部在一份声明中表示。

拉斯伊萨是一条至关重要的输油管道和港口，也是也门西海岸三大输油管道和港口之一，绝大多数进口物资和人道主义援助物资都经由这里进入也门。美国中央司令部声称，伊朗支持的胡塞武装（美国将其视为恐怖组织）利用该地点作为燃料供应设施和贪污场所。

“这些打击行动的目的是削弱胡塞武装的经济力量来源，”中央司令部表示。

3月中旬，美军开始对该组织进行大规模轰炸，并威胁称，除非胡塞武装停止袭击途经红海（全球贸易的重要通道）的商船，否则将继续空袭。

五角大楼在行动开始的第一周向记者通报了情况，但此后一直拒绝就空袭次数、目标或重新开放航道的进展发表评论。这种拒绝与前一年中央司令部公​​开披露的对胡塞武装的空袭行动截然不同。

“他们不会承认伤亡人数，也不会承认领导层被摧毁了多少，但我们知道，”赫格塞斯上周谈到胡塞武装时说道。

当被要求描述这些估算结果时，赫格塞斯拒绝回答。

然而，显而易见的是，美国近期在该地区的军事集结。赫格塞斯已紧急向中东派遣了第二个航母打击群、防空部队、先进轰炸机和战斗机，以支援军事行动并向伊朗发出信号。伊朗目前正与美国就其核计划的未来进行直接对话。

中央司令部没有透露周四空袭中涉及的军事资产，也没有透露伤亡人数。

诺亚·罗伯逊是《防务新闻》的五角大楼记者。他此前曾为《基督教科学箴言报》报道国家安全新闻。他拥有弗吉尼亚州威廉斯堡威廉与玛丽学院的英语和政治学学士学位。