US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers have been deployed to conduct strikes against five underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen.
The strikes targeted hardened, underground sites near Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa and the city of Saada, where the Houthis have been reportedly storing weapons components used in attacks on civilian and military vessels transiting the Red Sea.
“At the direction of President Biden, I authorized these targeted strikes to further degrade the Houthis’ capability to continue their destabilizing behavior and to protect and defend U.S. forces and personnel in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement. “The United States will not hesitate to take action to defend American lives and assets; to deter attacks against civilians and our regional partners; and to protect freedom of navigation and increase the safety and security in these waterways.”
The Red Sea, a strategic passage for international trade
Since November 2023, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been launching anti-ship missiles and one-way “kamikaze” drones against US and international vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. These attacks have disrupted international commerce, with 12% of global trade passing through the affected area.
Multiple nations have deployed air defense vessels in nearby waters to intercept weapons launched from Houthi-controlled territory. Additionally, the US and British forces have conducted several retaliatory airstrikes using fighter jets. These recent strikes mark the first time that the USAF has employed strategic bombers against Houthi targets.
The B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bomber, which entered service in 1997, remains a key component of the United States’ nuclear deterrent strategy. The USAF plans to retire the B-2 and B-1 Lancer strategic bombers in the early 2030s, gradually replacing them with 100 B-21 Raider aircraft. Production of this next-generation stealth bomber began in January 2024, and it is expected to enter active service by 2026.