Geneva – SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that the airstrikes carried out by U.S. warplanes on the Ras Isa area in Al-Hudaydah Governorate—specifically targeting the Ras Isa oil facility—constitute a dangerous escalation and a grave violation of international humanitarian law. The organization emphasized that the continued targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure in Yemen deepens the humanitarian tragedy Yemenis have endured for years and undermines any prospects for peace. This obliges the international community to assume its moral and humanitarian responsibilities in protecting the Yemeni people from ongoing aggression and violations.

The organization pointed out that the air raid, which occurred on April 17, 2025, targeted the Ras Isa oil facility with four successive airstrikes, resulting in extensive destruction to the infrastructure of this vital facility. The attack reportedly caused the deaths of 80 civilians and injured 150 others, according to preliminary statistics issued by the Health Office in Al-Hudaydah Governorate.

SAM reported that the majority of the victims were civilian workers and employees with no connection to any military activity. Among the victims were: Khaled Abdullah Mohsen, Osama Sorour, Ahmed Naji, Issam Hadi, Ahmed Hiba, Amir Makki, Abdulrahman Saleh, Qassem Taweel, Osama Awsh, Mustafa Awsh, Muadh Youssef, Waleed Manaji Sayqal, Abdullah Awad Mazjaji, Sami Awad Mazjaji, Nizar Abdu Hindi, and others.

SAM considered this attack to be a flagrant breach of the provisions of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the First Additional Protocol of 1977, particularly Article 51, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks or those that directly target civilians or are expected to cause excessive civilian casualties. The attack also constitutes a violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

The organization stressed that targeting a vital civilian facility—one of the main sources of oil and food supply for civilians—amid an ongoing severe humanitarian crisis in the country, constitutes an unjustified escalation that violates the principles of proportionality and distinction. It exacerbates the suffering of the population and threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands who depend on these facilities for fuel and basic needs.

SAM emphasized that the continuation of this military approach, under the pretext of combating the Houthi group, does not justify the targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure that serves all citizens. The victims had no involvement in any military activity; they were employees striving to earn a living under harsh living conditions.

The organization called on the U.S. administration to fully assume its legal responsibilities toward the victims, to provide fair and equitable compensation to the families of the killed and injured civilians, and to ensure that such violations are not repeated—violations that directly contradict the United States’ obligations under international humanitarian law.

SAM reaffirmed the necessity of an immediate halt to all forms of U.S. military operations targeting civilian facilities and objects. The organization emphasized the need to uphold the principles of distinction, proportionality, and military necessity under the Geneva Conventions, as violations of these principles directly harm Yemeni civilians and further complicate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.

SAM urged the international community—foremost among them the United Nations and the Security Council—to take a clear and firm stance on these violations affecting civilians in Yemen, and to work seriously to end the state of impunity that has prevailed in recent years, encouraging the repetition of such crimes without any real accountability.