US B-2 bombers attack the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen

The US carried out a series of strikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday evening, targeting five underground weapons storage facilities using B-2 stealth bombers, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The facilities housed advanced conventional weapons used to attack military and civilian ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, three US defense officials told CNN after the attack.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries are trying to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply underground, hardened or fortified,” Austin said in a statement. “The deployment of U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates the U.S. global strike capability to take action against these targets when needed, anytime, anywhere.”

It was the first time since the start of the US campaign that the US used the strategic stealth bomber to attack the Houthis in Yemen. The B-2 is a much larger platform than the fighter jets used to date to attack Houthi facilities and weapons, and can carry a much heavier payload of bombs.

Austin said he authorized the strikes at President Joe Biden’s direction to “further degrade” the Houthis’ capabilities after more than a year of attacks by the militant group on U.S. and international ships in the region. The facilities attacked contained “several weapon components” of weapons used to target ships in the Middle East, the defense minister said.

“We will continue to make it clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks,” he said.

The overnight airstrikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the city of Saada early Thursday local time, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported, according to Reuters.

“America will pay the price for its aggression against Yemen, and as we have said before, its aggression will not deter Yemen from its position in support of Gaza,” said Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the media office for the Houthis. X.

The Houthis have been targeting ships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, for months, calling the attacks a response to Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas.

Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are all part of an Iranian-led alliance spanning Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Iraq that has attacked Israel and its allies since the start of the war. They say they will not stop attacking Israel and its allies until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave.

The attack on the Houthis comes at a time of high tensions in the region. Israel is expected to retaliate against recent Iranian rocket fire before the November 5 US elections, and conflicts with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza are still ongoing.

Wednesday’s strike – early Thursday morning, local time – is the latest in a saga of back-and-forth attacks by the Houthis and the US, as the Houthis have been conducting sustained attacks on commercial shipping and naval assets in the region for months. .

It also comes as American troops have arrived in Israel after the US announced the deployment of an advanced anti-missile system to help protect Israel following Iranian missile fire.

While the US has carried out attacks against the Houthis in the past in coordination with Britain, Wednesday’s attack was carried out by the US alone. According to US Central Command, both the US Air Force and Navy were involved in the operation.

Over the past year, the US has repeatedly attacked or intercepted Houthi drones and missiles in an effort to protect ships and degrade the Houthi arsenal.

In September, the Houthis claimed to have launched about 20 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against three US destroyers. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that “at no time” did any of the cruise missiles or drones hit a U.S. ship.

“I can confirm that no American ships were damaged or hit. There were no injuries among US personnel. We have seen a complex attack from the Houthis ranging from cruise missiles to UAVs,” Singh said. “My understanding is that these were either involved and shot down or they failed.”

Earlier this month, the US struck 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, including “Houthi offensive military capabilities,” CENTCOM said.

In September, the Houthis fired a rocket deep into Israel, but the Israeli military assessed that it “most likely disintegrated in mid-air” and landed in an open area in the country, causing no injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September that the Houthis would pay a “high price” for the attack. Just days later, the Israeli military said it had targeted power plants and a seaport with airstrikes against the Houthis.

The Houthis have since launched more attacks on Israel, saying they launched drones in support of Hezbollah on October 1, and fired two missiles and multiple drones into the country on October 7.

The Israeli military said in the latest attack that Israel had intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired from Yemen into central Israel.

The Houthis’ continued attacks on commercial shipping have killed several sailors and caused major environmental problems. In August, an attack on a Greek-flagged ship left it on fire and leaking oil; the Pentagon warned at the time of a ‘potential environmental disaster’.

The US has significant firepower in the region, and has done so since Hamas’s invasion of Israel last October. CNN reported this month that the thousands of US troops include an aircraft carrier strike group, several additional guided missile destroyers, an amphibious group along with a maritime expeditionary unit and a wide range of aircraft including fighters and attack planes.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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