The U.S. carried out its first B-2 stealth bomber attack on a Houthi underground weapons facility in Yemen, an escalation seen as part of a warning to Houthi supporters in Tehran.
Local television in Houthi-controlled areas of the country reported that 15 airstrikes hit five locations near the capital Sanaa and in the northern province of Sa’ada, the Houthis’ traditional stronghold, around dawn on Thursday.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “The U.S. military has identified several of the Houthi underground facilities housing various weapons components of the type that the Houthis have used to target civilian vessels and military vessels throughout the region. “We targeted them,” he said. He said the attack was aimed at reducing the Houthis’ military ability to “protect U.S. forces and personnel in one of the world’s most important waterways.”
The use of the long-range stealth bomber is widely seen as a message to Iran amid fears of a regional conflagration, but the use of the long-range stealth bomber “remains committed to the United States’ ability to take action against these targets, whenever and wherever necessary.” Austin added.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
“The US will pay a price for its invasion of Yemen. As we have said before, the US invasion will not deter Yemen from supporting Gaza,” said Nasruddin, deputy director of the Houthi media department. Amell said. X.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a fundamentalist Shiite group allied with Iran and form part of Tehran’s region-wide “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States.
The region remains on high alert against Israeli retaliation for Iran’s barrage of 180 ballistic missiles toward the Jewish state earlier this month.
The group has been targeting ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea that it claims are linked to Israel for nearly a year in a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war. However, the group also attacked vessels not affiliated with Israel. It has also fired missiles and armed drones at Israel.
The Red Sea route, which connects to the Suez Canal, is an important route carrying 12% of world trade. The attack caused severe disruption, and the US and UK launched airstrikes against the Houthis in January. In July, Israel also directly attacked northern Yemen in response to a drone attack on Tel Aviv.
Dozens of civilians were killed in the attack, according to the Yemen Data Project, a nonprofit organization that studies the impact of airstrikes on the country.
The Houthis seized control of North Yemen, where most of the population lives, in 2014. Since then, the organization has imposed harsh measures on those under its control.
The Saudi and UAE-led coalition has failed to eliminate the Houthis despite an intensive bombing campaign and years of siege operations, resulting in widespread hunger and disease.
In another regional development, Israeli airstrikes hit the Syrian city of Latakia on Thursday, injuring two civilians, according to Syrian state media. In parallel with the military escalation in Lebanon, Israeli forces have stepped up raids in Syria, where they have been heavily shelling Hezbollah strongholds for more than three weeks. Israel has accused Lebanese groups, which like the Houthis are backed by Iran, of transferring weapons through Syria.