In the early evening on Thursday, 26 December 2024, four civilians were killed and at least two civilians were injured in declared Israeli airstrikes on the Ras Isa Oil Facility in the al-Hudaydah Governorate, western Yemen.

At 5:15pm local time, the IDF announced on Telegram that “A short while ago, following the approval of operational plans by the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, and the Prime Minister, IAF fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime on the western coast and inland Yemen.” The announcement specified that “In addition, the IDF struck military infrastructure in the Al-Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Kanatib ports on the western coast.” The statement included further rationale for why the strikes were carried out on the Houthis, published in full below.

Users on social media noted that at least four civilians had been identified as killed in the strikes, along with at least one injured civilian, and shared their names.

Facebook user Faqirah Mohammed shared a post naming Younis Abdo Abdullah Ali Murshid al-Qabati, Ali Murshid al-Ahmadi, Abdullah Ali Abdullah Maqbouli, and Walid Ahmed Qasim Balgheeth as having been killed in the strikes, adding that Captain Mohammed Abdullah al-Khouli had been injured. Abdulrahman Maqbool called the victims the “Hudaydah port firefighters.”

Images shared by him and others show the victims, cheerful, mostly middle-aged men. Friends and relatives mourned their passing and posted heartfelt tributes on social media, with Faqirah Mohammed posting “Last week we mourned nine martyrs, and today we mourn four more… May God grant us and their families patience. To God we belong and to Him we shall return. Their departure pained us. May God have mercy on them and grant them the highest level of paradise.”

Jafar Shaher Hamid posted a picture of Younis Abdo Abdullah Ali Murshid al-Qabati wearing a traditional headress on the deck of a sailing ship, adding “And a martyr ascends to the pleasure of Allah Almighty from the sons of the village of Al-Kuraifa…..Martyr Younis Abdo Abdullah Ali Murshid Al-Qabati. To Paradise, God willing. May God’s mercy cover you, Younis. And may God make you dwell with the martyrs.”

Initial reports from TV Al-Masirah, TRT ArabNow, Alhwaer TV and al-Arabiya TV stated that one civilian had been killed and three others were missing as a result of Israeli airstrikes on the Ras Isa Oil Port in the al-Hudaydah governorate. An image posted by TRT ArabNow showed structures ablaze with large plumes of smoke in the distance. Al-Hadath posted a video on Twitter/X of buildings on fire in the distance, stating that three civilians had been killed along with “a number” missing from Israeli strikes on the port.

According to a statement released by the Houthi-run Yemen Ministry of Health and Environment, a total of 18 civilians had been injured by strikes on Sanaa and al-Hudayda governorates. As local sources reported that between 13 to 16 people had been injured in a separate incident at Sanaa airport (assessed in ISYEM241226a), a range of 2-5 has been recorded for injuries for this incident.

Facebook user Mohammed al-Sakani posted that the port was hit by “a series” of Israeli airstrikes. Yemen News reported that the Israeli Air Force “launched a fourth round of airstrikes on Yemen on Thursday evening”, that hit the Ras Issa port. They claimed that the strikes had so far majorly hit “civilian facilities and have no connection to the Houthis.”

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to Israeli forces.