US B-2 bombers target Yemeni Houthis’ underground bunkers

The Iran-backed militia’s news channel reported airstrikes around the capital, Sanaa, and around their stronghold of Saada.

A B-2 stealth bomber comes in for landing at Palmdale, California. Picture: AFP

American long-range B-2 stealth bombers launched airstrikes early on Thursday morning targeting underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials said.

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

However, there are no previous reports of the B-2 Spirit being used in strikes targeting the Houthis, who have been attacking ships for months in the Red Sea corridor because of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

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.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that the B-2 bombers targeted “five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”

The strike also appeared to be an indirect warning to Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor, which 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”.

“This was a unique demonstration of the US ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified,” Mr Austin said.

He and the US military’s Central Command offered no immediate assessment on the damage done. However, Central Command said in a statement that initial assessments suggested no civilians had been killed.

The attack comes after the U.S. military earlier this month carried out 15 strikes against targets linked to Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen, where residents reported blasts at military outposts and an airport.

The Red Sea has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships travelling through the waterway, which once saw $US1 trillion of cargo pass through it yearly.

Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They have seized one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or Britain to force an end to ­Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel and have shot down a number of 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.

AP