News - Yemen Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources has issued a stark warning about the grave risks of marine pollution following a US airstrike on the Ras Issa oil port in Hodeidah province, which resulted in a significant oil spill into the Red Sea.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Ministry said the bombing destroyed port facilities and storage tanks, causing large quantities of petroleum and toxic industrial substances to leak into the sea. The statement warned that this could trigger an imminent environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea, devastating the marine ecosystem, causing mass marine life die-offs, and threatening fish stocks — a crucial source of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of Yemeni families.

The Ministry also cautioned that the spread of oil pollution in Yemen’s territorial waters could lead to the closure of extensive fishing areas, the suspension of maritime activities, and severe damage to national food security — all amid Yemen’s already dire humanitarian and economic crisis.

The Ministry called on international environmental organizations to condemn the attack and assist in containing the oil spill to mitigate its catastrophic impact on the marine environment.

The statement held the United States directly responsible for the incident and its severe humanitarian, environmental, and economic consequences. It also condemned the silence of the international community — particularly the United Nations — which it said has emboldened aggressors to commit such acts.

According to the statement, this American escalation worsens the suffering of Yemeni civilians following the U.S.'s failure to achieve a military victory, describing it as a desperate attempt to pressure Yemen into ceasing its support for Gaza.

On Thursday evening, the American enemy committed a massacre against civilians and workers at the Ras Issa port in Al-Hodeidah province, launching 14 airstrikes on the port facilities and oil and gas tankers. This resulted in the martyrdom of more than 80 civilians and the injury of 160 others, according to preliminary figures from the Ministry of Health.

This attack is part of a broader American military campaign that began on March 15, 2025, following Yemen’s decision to resume retaliatory strikes on Israel in response to the intensification of Israeli operations in Gaza. Since then, US airstrikes have consistently targeted civilian infrastructure across Yemen, including power stations, communication facilities, and water systems.

Washington claims the strikes are meant to safeguard freedom of navigation near Yemen’s waters. However, Yemeni authorities refute this, asserting their operations exclusively target vessels linked to Israel and are not directed at international shipping. The continued escalation by the US has significantly worsened the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, drawing condemnation from various regional and resistance movements.