The U.S. conducted airstrikes using B-2 bombers against Houthi weapons storage locations in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed rebel group. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the facilities housed weapons used to target civilian and military vessels in the region. The strikes, authorized by President Joe Biden, aimed to degrade the Houthis’ capability to continue their destabilizing behavior and protect U.S. forces in critical waterways.
The Houthis, supported by Iran, have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in response to the conflict in Gaza. The U.S. previously launched airstrikes against Houthi weapons in January and suspended service in the Red Sea due to the attacks. The Houthis have expressed support for Hamas, a terrorist group.
The ongoing conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sana’a, has led to extreme hardship. The United Nations has described Yemen’s humanitarian crisis as the largest in the world, with over 18 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The annual flow of goods through the Red Sea, totaling $1 trillion, has been disrupted by the conflict. The U.S. strikes using B-2 bombers demonstrated the country’s ability to target heavily fortified underground facilities seeking to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel and combat the destabilizing actions of the Houthis in the region.
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