U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the U.S. B-2 bombers and other aircraft conducted strikes on five underground Houthi weapons storage locations in parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed rebel group. These facilities were reported to house various weapons that the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
This marks the first time that the U.S. has used B-2 bombers in strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. These strikes were intended to show the United States’ ability to target hardened and deeply buried facilities that adversaries seek to protect.
The strikes come in response to the escalating attacks by the Houthi rebels, who have announced their support for the terrorist group Hamas. The conflict in Yemen has caused extreme hardship, with the United Nations calling it the largest humanitarian crisis in the world, affecting over 18 million people.
The U.S. conducted its first airstrikes against Houthi weapons in January in response to attacks against commercial shipping. The recent strikes were authorized by President Joe Biden to further degrade the Houthis’ capability and protect U.S. forces and personnel in the critical waterways where the conflict is taking place. The situation is evolving, and updates are expected as the conflict continues.
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