Yemen: US B-2 Spirit bombers attack Houthis and attack weapons depots

CNN
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The US carried out a round of attacks against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Wednesday evening. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said five underground weapons depots were targeted by B-2 stealth bombers.

Three US Defense Department officials told CNN after the attack that the facilities housed advanced conventional weapons used to attack military and civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States' ability to target facilities that our adversaries want to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried, fortified 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 strike against these targets whenever and wherever needed.”

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 previously used to attack Houthi facilities and weapons, and can carry a far larger load of bombs.

Austin said he authorized the strikes at the direction of President Joe Biden to “further weaken” the Houthis' capability after more than a year of the Houthis attacking U.S. and international ships in the region. The facilities contained “various weapon components” of weapons used to combat ships in the Middle East, the defense secretary said.

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

The attack on the Iran-backed proxy group comes at a time of high tension in the region. Israel is expected to retaliate for Iran's recent rocket fire ahead of the US election on November 5, and conflicts with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continue.

The strike on Wednesday – early Thursday morning local time – is the latest in a series of back-and-forth attacks by the Houthis and the US, as the Houthis have carried out consistent attacks on commercial vessels and naval facilities in the region for months.

This also comes as US soldiers arrive in Israel after the US announced the deployment of an advanced missile defense system to protect Israel following missile fire from Iran.

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

Over the past year, the US has repeatedly attacked or intercepted Houthi drones and missiles to protect ships and weaken the Houthi arsenal. But the attacks by the Iran-backed rebel group have not stopped.

In September, the Houthis claimed to have fired about two dozen 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 US ship.

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

Just earlier this month, the U.S. struck 15 Houthi targets in Yemen, including “Houthi offensive military capabilities,” CENTCOM said.

The Iran-backed group said it carried out the attacks in support of Hamas in Gaza and, more recently, Hezbollah in Lebanon. In September, the Houthis fired a rocket deep inside Israel, although the Israeli military said it “most likely fragmented in the air” and hit an open area in the country, causing no injuries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in September that the Houthis would pay a “heavy price” for the attack. Just a few days later, Israeli forces announced that they had targeted power plants and a seaport in airstrikes against the Houthis.

The Houthis have since launched further attacks against Israel, saying they launched drones in support of Hezbollah on October 1 and fired two rockets and several drones into the country on October 7.

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

The Houthis' constant attacks on commercial shipping have killed several sailors and caused major environmental problems. In August, a ship flying the Greek flag burned and leaked oil; At the time, the Pentagon warned of a “potential environmental disaster.”

The US has significant firepower in the region since Hamas invaded Israel last October. CNN reported this month that the thousands of U.S. forces included a carrier strike group, several other guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious task force, as well as a naval expeditionary unit and a wide range of aircraft, including fighter and attack aircraft.

This story has been updated with additional details.