US launches B-2 stealth bombers at Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

The US launched airstrikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthis early Thursday morning, targeting five underground weapons storage facilities using long-range B-2 stealth bombers, according to US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

It wasn’t immediately clear what damage was done in the strikes.

It is incredibly rare for the B-2 Spirit to be used in the strikes targeting the Houthis, who have been attacking ships for months in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

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 Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel reported airstrikes around Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, which the group has held since 2014. They also reported strikes around the Houthi stronghold of Saada. They offered no immediate information on damage or casualties.

The strike also appeared to be an indirect warning to Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor who have twice targeted Israel with ballistic missile attacks over the last year.

“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,” Austin said.

Austin and the US military’s Central Command offered no immediate assessment on the damage done.