B-2 Bombers Hit Houthi Targets

The US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by Yemen's Houthi rebels early Thursday, a major escalation in the American response to the rebels' attacks on Mideast shipping lanes that appeared to be a warning to Iran as well. While it wasn't immediately clear how much damage the strikes caused, the attack appeared to be the first use of the B-2 in combat since 2017 and the first time the flying wing targeted sites in Yemen, per the AP. "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," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in announcing the strikes.

Iran, the Houthis' main benefactor, has targeted Israel with ballistic missile attacks twice over the past year. The B-2 would be used in any American attack on hardened Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz or Fordo given it is the only aircraft in service that can drop the GBU-57, known as the "Massive Ordnance Penetrator." Iran offered no immediate comment on the strike Thursday. Its foreign minister has been visiting Arab nations ahead of an expected Israeli retaliatory strike over Tehran's Oct. 1 missile assault. 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.

Austin said the B-2 bombers targeted "five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen." US Central Command said it believed no civilians had been killed. The Red Sea has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships traveling through the waterway over the Israel-Hamas war. Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war started last October. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel and have shot down US military MQ-9 Reaper drones. The rebels have threatened new attacks in response to Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon and its killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. (More Yemen stories.)