On Wednesday Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that U.S. B-2 bombers and other aircraft targeted five underground Houthi weapons storage locations in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed rebel group. The facilities were said to house various weapons components used by the Houthis to target civilian and military vessels in the region. This marks the first time B-2 bombers have been used in strikes against the Houthis.
The Houthis have attacked civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with suspicion of involvement in an attack in August. The group has been launching missiles and drones in response to the war in Gaza and has expressed support for the terrorist group Hamas. The conflict has caused extreme hardship in Yemen, with the United Nations calling it the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
The U.S. has previously launched airstrikes against Houthi weapons in January, and Defense Secretary Austin authorized the strikes on Wednesday at the direction of President Biden. The aim is to degrade the Houthi’s capability to continue destabilizing behavior and to protect U.S. forces and personnel in a critical waterway. The Houthis seized Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, in 2014, leading to a protracted conflict and widespread dependency on humanitarian assistance for over 18 million people in the country.
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