US says B-2 stealth bombers struck hidden Houthi weapons, sending a message to foes that nothing is out of reach
US Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot
- The US military said Wednesday that it carried out precision airstrikes in Yemen.
- The strikes targeted Houthi weapons storage facilities, according to the Pentagon.
- US B-2 bombers were part of the operation, marking their first known involvement in the Houthi conflict.
The US military hit Houthi targets in Yemen with multiple "precision strikes," the Pentagon announced late Wednesday evening.
US forces struck five hardened underground weapons storage sites that the Iran-backed Houthis use to fuel their attacks against merchant shipping vessels in the region, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
The operation involved US Navy and US Air Force assets, including B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers. The operation marks the first known deployment of this strike capability in the US counter-Houthi campaign.
The US military has relied heavily on the warships and fighter aircraft it has stationed in the region to carry out operations against the Houthis. The B-2, however, can travel long distances and carry heavier payloads than the American jets.
The Department of Defense indicated the B-2s sent a message to the Houthis and other US foes, such as Iran, which has armed and supported the rebels. Austin said that "this was a unique demonstration of the United States' ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified."
He said that the B-2 employment demonstrates America's "global strike capabilities to take action against these targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere."
Over the past year, the Houthis have regularly used missiles and drones to target important merchant shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, hitting a number of vessels. American and European forces operating in the region have routinely shot down these threats.
US Central Command said Wednesday that its forces targeted hardened underground facilities where the Houthis stored missiles, weapons components, and other munitions that they used to carry out their attacks on military and civilian vessels in the region.
"Our battle damage assessments are underway and do not indicate civilian casualties. We will provide updates as information is confirmed," the command said in a statement.
The strikes on Wednesday — early Thursday local time — mark the latest US bombardment of Houthi targets in Yemen. American forces targeted the rebels earlier this month.
The bombing of the Houthis also comes as the Middle East remains on edge over expected Israeli retaliation against Iran following Tehran's October 1 ballistic missile attack. Following the attack, the US deployed an advanced air-defense battery to Israel.