More than two months after the first attack on July 20, Israeli warplanes once again targeted the coastal city of Al-Hodeidah on the Red Sea in western Yemen on the evening of Sunday, September 29. The latest strikes were more powerful and brutal, focusing on the city's infrastructure and what remained of the vital facilities serving the civilians of the governorate, whose residents have yet to recover from the ravages of a war that has been ongoing for ten years.
A Devastating Blow to Electricity Supply
In the latest attack on the evening of Sunday, September 29, dozens of Israeli fighter jets targeted and destroyed the Ras Al-Katheeb and Al-Hali power generation stations, as well as the Ras Issa oil port. The raids led to the tragic loss of four lives and left around 50 individuals injured, all of whom were employees at these civilian facilities, according to local health authorities in the city.
Among the victims of the attack identified were engineer Wahib Al-Mughalis, the maintenance director of the Al-Hali power station, and a young man named Zakaria Al-Shara'i, who worked as a truck driver transporting fuel from the Ras Issa oil port.
In reality, the damage from the attack extended beyond the targeted facilities and their workers. Shrapnel from the bombings reached nearby homes, injuring several residents inside their own houses. Moreover, many locals also reported cases of suffocation and skin allergies caused by the toxins and smoke released from the bombardment.
The fires at the Ras Issa port in the Al-Salif district were contained, as relevant authorities had evacuated the fuel tanks days before the anticipated Israeli strike in response to attacks by the Houthi group inside Israeli territory. However, firefighting and civil defense teams faced significant challenges in extinguishing the fires that blazed for hours at the Al-Hali power generation station.
As a direct result of this attack, the power station went offline, plunging the city of Al-Hodeidah into complete darkness amid rising temperatures. Consequently, this situation exacerbated the suffering of residents, for whom electricity is a vital lifeline in the extremely hot coastal city.
“The scene inside the oil facilities at Al-Hodeidah port was horrifying and harrowing. The fire trapped dozens of civilian employees inside the laboratory and maritime affairs building. About 90 people survived the massive fire, albeit with serious burns and disfigurements, while the bodies of nine employees were turned to ashes within the first hours immediately following the attack.”
The First Attack
At six o'clock in the evening on Saturday, July 20, 2024, several powerful explosions rocked the city of Al-Hodeidah, causing flames to shoot up from within the port. Subsequently, black smoke engulfed the city's sky, and fear and panic spread among the residents due to the massive explosions and the flames reaching other fuel storage tanks.
Moreover, hundreds of residents in the impoverished neighborhoods near the port of Al-Hodeidah and the Ras Al-Katheeb power station, such as the Al-Bayda Al-Gharbiya neighborhood, fled their homes in fear of the flames reaching their residences. Meanwhile, many citizens rushed to gas stations, in anticipation of a potential fuel crisis. These were difficult and harrowing moments that Al-Hodeidah had never experienced before, overshadowed by fears of escalating the war and further Israeli attacks.
Indeed, the scene inside the oil facilities at Al-Hodeidah port was harrowing. The fire trapped dozens of civilian employees inside the laboratory and maritime affairs building. About 90 people survived the massive fire, albeit with serious burns and disfigurements, while the bodies of nine employees were turned to ashes within the first hours immediately following the attack.
Abu Bakr Hussein Abdullah Faqih, Ahmed Abdullah Musa Jilan, Salah Abdullah Muqbil Al-Sarari, Abdul Bari Mohammed Youssef Ezzi, Nabil Nasher Abdo Abdullah, and Idrees Dawood Hassan Ahmed—six out of nine victims—were colleagues at the oil company. Each of them had their own life, family, and personal stories, yet their final moments were tragically similar. They found themselves surrounded by flames on all sides, powerless to escape this deadly siege and save their lives. This tragic and horrific loss left a profound sense of grief and shock throughout the city of Al-Hodeidah and across Yemen.
For instance, Abu Bakr Al-Faqih, who was one of those victims, was a young mechanic in his early thirties, hailing from the Al-Marawi’ah district in the eastern countryside of Al-Hodeidah city. His brother, Adam, spoke to "Khuyut" with deep sorrow and grief about the loss of his brother, explaining that Abu Bakr had left behind a six-month-old daughter, as well as a family comprising his father, mother, and wife—all of whom depended on him for their livelihood. Adam noted that Abu Bakr had been working at the oil company since 2012, in the department responsible for unloading oil tankers at the oil facilities in Al-Hodeidah port, where he was present at the time of the strike that claimed his life along with that of several colleagues.
Likewise, Ahmed Jilan, another victim in his forties, was one of the Yemeni students who had been sent to Iraq for studies. He returned to Yemen as an expert specializing in oil exploration and was considered one of the important professionals that the country needed. However, without any prior wrongdoing and without warning, he also fell victim to the attack while he was working inside the laboratory. He left behind an orphaned child, a grieving widow, and a family that relied on him, as confirmed by his neighbor in the Al-Shahariya neighborhood, Qasim Abdulrahman.
“The fuel tanks and reservoirs that were attacked had not received commercial petroleum derivatives or those shipments belonging to the oil company for two years. Instead, these tanks and reservoirs were designated for diesel fuel for electricity stations and petroleum derivatives supplied to international organizations. All commercial fuel tankers were offloading their cargo at the oil facilities in the Ras Issa port, located 88 kilometers northwest of Al-Hodeidah city.”
The Extent of the Damage
The material damage from the first Israeli strike on Al-Hodeidah port alone amounted to approximately $20 million, according to the deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Red Sea Ports Corporation, Nasr Abdullah Al-Nusairi. However, the overall damage caused by the attack was even greater, and the results of the damage assessment have not been officially announced to this day. In addition to targeting the oil facilities and Al-Hodeidah port, the Israeli attack also struck the central power station located in the Al-Katheeb area of Al-Salif district, destroying three fuel tanks at the station and rendering it inoperable.
During the information-gathering process, "Khuyut" managed to collect testimonies from several workers and employees at the Al-Hodeidah port. Their accounts summarize that the Israeli attack on the port destroyed two of the gantry cranes used for unloading containers. Additionally, it completely or partially destroyed approximately 31 tanks and reservoirs designated for storing diesel fuel used in electricity generation and other petroleum derivatives. As a result of the fires spreading and the inability to extinguish them, explosions occurred continuously over several days due to the flames extending through the fuel pipeline network connecting the ships to the reservoirs. Furthermore, 12 gas tanks were also at risk of exploding, as their cooling process was conducted in a rudimentary manner by covering them with large fabric pieces and cloths and spraying them with water. However, the danger of gas leakage and the possibility of reigniting fires still persist and remain a significant concern.
An informed engineer, who requested to remain anonymous, told "Khuyut", "The fuel tanks and reservoirs that were targeted in the attack have not received commercial petroleum derivatives or those shipments belonging to the oil company for two years. Instead, these tanks and reservoirs were specifically designated for diesel used in electricity generation and petroleum derivatives supplied to international organizations." He noted that all commercial fuel tankers were unloading their cargo at the oil facilities in the Ras Issa port, located 88 kilometers northwest of Al-Hodeidah city. Actually, this arrangement has helped prevent a fuel crisis in areas controlled by the Houthi movement. However, the source confirmed that Berth No. 1, designated for receiving fuel and gas ships, is now entirely out of service due to damage sustained by the pipelines transporting fuel from the vessels to the tanks, in addition to the failure of the fire suppression system in this section of the port.
“The employees who were trapped inside the building, which housed the laboratory on the ground floor and the marine facilities on the upper floor, experienced terrifying moments from the instant the strike hit the port until the burning and charring of their bodies. What was buried were merely some of their bones and ashes. Sadly, the financial compensation provided by the oil company to the families of the victims did not exceed two million and two hundred thousand Yemeni riyals.”
A Horrific and Brutal Attack
In this context, journalist Baseem Jinani, one of the city’s most prominent activists, who was in close contact with employees and workers inside the port, told "Khuyut" that the employees who were trapped inside the building, which housed the laboratory on the ground floor and the marine facilities on the upper floor, experienced terrifying moments from the instant the strike hit the port until the burning and charring of their bodies. What was buried were merely some of their bones and ashes. Sadly, the financial compensation provided by the oil company to the families of the victims did not exceed two million and two hundred thousand Yemeni riyals.
Al-Jinani continues, saying: "The government civil defense teams, along with firefighting crews from major commercial companies, made significant efforts to contain the fire. However, the scale of the blaze exceeded the available resources and capabilities, which complicated the process of extinguishing the fire for an entire week, resulting in about 80% of the oil facilities at the port being damaged due to the attack. Consequently, this has delayed the process of assessing and officially announcing the full extent of the damage and losses."
He adds, "The Israeli attack was horrific and terrible, causing extensive destruction that may take years to repair. In addition, it left the residents of Al-Hodeidah in a state of shock and fear, prompting many to flee their homes near the port, amidst widespread anger and outrage at this brutal attack on a civilian facility housing hundreds of workers and employees."
A Condemned War Crime
Less than an hour after the July attacks, Israel claimed responsibility for the strike through its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and military spokespeople, naming the operation "Long Arm." Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that around 18 fighter jets, including F-35s and F-15s, participated in the attack, dropping more than 10 tons of explosives on multiple targets. However, considering the nature of the attack, Israel did not target military sites or leaders of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group. Instead, it struck fuel tanks at Al-Hodeidah port and the Ras Al-Katheeb power station—both civilian and economic facilities critical to all Yemenis, exacerbating the suffering of a city already plagued by the tragedies of war and poverty.
Accordingly, this prompted Human Rights Watch to classify the Israeli strikes on Al-Hodeidah port as a potential war crime, warning that the attacks could have long-term effects on millions of Yemenis who rely on the port for food and humanitarian aid. The organization noted that the strikes caused disproportionate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure. In a statement issued on the matter, Human Rights Watch added that remnants of weapons collected by the Mwatana Organization at the strike site bore markings of Woodward, a U.S. manufacturing company. These remnants matched those found in other contexts, specifically from the GBU-39 bomb series produced by the multinational American company, Boeing.
For its part, the Mwatana Organization called for an international investigation, emphasizing that the Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities in the city of Al-Hodeidah constitute a war crime. These attacks violated the protection granted by international humanitarian law to civilian objects and infrastructure, as well as the principles of proportionality, protection, and distinction. Furthermore, they undermined the protections afforded to civilian objects under Article 54 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions of 1977.
The Far-reaching Consequences
The repercussions of the first Israeli attack were not limited to human and material losses, but also extended to environmental risks. The Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), a British charity monitoring the environmental impact of conflict, warned that the fire and associated spills would generate hazardous air emissions and significant land pollution, with the possibility of marine environment contamination. Wim Zwijnenburg from the Dutch peacebuilding organization PAX stated that tens of thousands of liters of oil burned in the aftermath of the attack, warning that the harmful fumes pose serious health risks. In addition, Farah Al-Hattab from Greenpeace, an environmental organization addressing climate change impacts in the Middle East and North Africa, added that coastal pollution caused by the strikes on Al-Hodeidah port potentially affects millions of people who rely on fishing for their livelihoods.
A high-resolution image captured by satellites from MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES showed multiple oil tanks ablaze, with massive flames and thick black smoke rising from the targeted oil tanks and power infrastructure. Jack Kennedy, head of country risk for the Middle East and North Africa at S&P Global Co., one of the largest companies in independent credit rating, stated that the images indicated significant damage to hydrocarbon refining and storage facilities at Al-Hodeidah port, in addition to damage to a power station and cargo handling cranes. He added that the strike is likely to disrupt trade and humanitarian aid operations.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that approximately 3,400 individuals work at Al-Hodeidah port, all of whom are civilians. Furthermore, around 70% of Yemen's commercial imports and 80% of humanitarian aid pass through this vital port, making this attack a new factor in exacerbating the humanitarian tragedy for millions of people in Yemen.
