US Military Hits Houthi Targets In Yemen – Pentagon
- Says B-2 bombers target ‘five hardened underground weapons storage locations’
The US Military says it has struck Houthi weapons storage facilities within Iran-backed Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
According to the Pentagon, the US military, including Air Force B-2 bombers, conducted precision strikes against five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement; “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”.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command has issued its statement on the targeted strikes at weapons storage facilities within Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, saying ongoing battle damage assessments indicate no civilian casualties.
The statement explained that the actions were taken “to degrade the Houthis’ capability to continue their reckless and unlawful attacks on international commercial shipping”, reiterating that it targeted underground facilities that housed “missiles, weapon components and other munitions used to target military and civilian vessels throughout the region”.
The Houthis are an Iran-backed group that swept to power in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, a decade ago, driving Saudi-backed forces south toward Aden where they set up their headquarters. They began aerial drone and missile strikes on the Red Sea in November in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The usage of the B-2 Spirit bombers marks the first time the US has used the strategic stealth bomber to attack the Houthis in Yemen since the beginning of the US campaign, CNN reported. The B-2 is a much larger platform than the fighter jets that have been used so far to target Houthi facilities and weapons, capable of carrying a far heavier load of bombs.
The strike is the latest in a saga of back-and-forth attacks by the Houthis and the US, as the Houthis continue carrying out attacks on commercial shipping and Navy assets in the region for months.
It is also coming as US service members have begun arriving in Israel after the US announced the deployment of an advanced anti-missile system to help protect Israel following Iran’s missile barrage
US forces last carried out strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on 4 October, targeting weapons systems, bases, and other equipment belonging to the Iran-backed group. – With agency reports