CNN
—
The US launched a round of strikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday evening. According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the B-2 used stealth bombers to target five underground weapons storage facilities.
Three US defense officials told CNN following the attack that they had advanced conventional weapons used to target military and civilian ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“This is a unique demonstration of America’s ability to target facilities that our adversaries cannot reach, no matter how deeply buried, hardened or fortified they are,” Austin said in a statement. “The work of the U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates U.S. global strike capabilities to take action against these targets anytime, anywhere, when needed.”
This is the first time the US has used strategic stealth bombing to attack the Houthis in Yemen since the start of the US campaign. The B-2 is a much larger platform than the warplanes used to target Houthi facilities and weapons so far.
Austin said the strikes were authorized by President Joe Biden to “further degrade” the Houthis’ ability to carry out more than a year of attacks on U.S. and international ships in the region. The defense secretary said the facilities housed “various weapon components” of weapons used to target ships in the Middle East.
“We will continue to make it clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks,” he said.
The attack on the Iranian-backed proxy group comes at a time of heightened tension in the region. Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran’s latest missile attack ahead of the November 5 US election and its ongoing clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Wednesday’s strike — early Thursday morning, local time — was the latest in a series of back-and-forth attacks by the Houthis and the United States. .
It comes as US service members have begun arriving in Israel after the US announced an advanced anti-missile system to help defend Israel following a missile attack by Iran.
While the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted strikes against the Houthis in the past, Wednesday’s strike was carried out by the United States alone. According to U.S. Central Command, both U.S. Air Force and Navy assets are involved in the operation.
Over the past year, the United States has repeatedly attacked or intercepted Houthi drones and missiles to protect ships and destroy Houthi arsenals. But attacks by Iran-backed rebel groups have not stopped.
In September, the Houthis claimed to have launched about two dozen ballistic and cruise missiles and drones against three US destroyers. Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said no cruise missiles or drones had hit the US ship “at any time.”
“I can confirm that no American ships were damaged or attacked. No US personnel were injured. “We saw a sophisticated attack launch from the Houthis ranging from cruise missiles and UAVs,” Singh said. “My understanding is that they engaged and were shot down or failed.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. struck 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, including “offensive military capabilities of the Houthis,” CENTCOM said.
The Iran-backed group has claimed responsibility for attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza and, more recently, Hezbollah in Lebanon. In September, the Houthis fired a missile into Israel, but Israel’s military assessed that it “probably fragmented in mid-air” and fell in an open area of the country, resulting in no injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September that the Houthis would pay a “big price” for the attack. Days later, Israel Defense Forces said airstrikes against the Houthis had targeted power plants and a port.
The Houthis launched further attacks against Israel, saying they launched drones in support of Hezbollah on October 1 and fired two missiles and several drones into the country on October 7.
The Israeli military said in a later strike that Israel had intercepted a surface-to-air missile fired from Yemen toward central Israel.
The Houthis’ repeated attacks on merchant shipping have killed many sailors and caused major environmental problems. In August, an attack on a Greek-flagged vessel caught fire and leaked oil; The Pentagon warned of “a potential environmental disaster” at the time.
The US has significant firepower in the region, and has since Hamas invaded Israel last October. The thousands of U.S. forces include a carrier strike group, several additional guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious readiness group with a sea expeditionary unit and a wide range of aircraft, including fighter and attack aircraft, CNN reported this month.
This story has been updated with additional details.
