US says B2 bombers launched 'precision strikes' against Houthis in Yemen | News on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the attacks were aimed at countering the Houthis' “destabilizing behavior”.

The US military has bombed a number of Houthi targets in Yemen, the US defense chief said.

U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers conducted “precision strikes” against five underground weapons caches in Houthi-controlled areas of the country, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.

The attacks targeted “hardened” underground facilities storing weapons components, like those used by the Houthis to attack civilian and military vessels in the region, Austin said.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries want to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried, fortified or fortified,” Austin said.

“The deployment of U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates the U.S. global strike capability to strike against these targets whenever and wherever needed.”

Austin said the Houthi attacks continued to disrupt international trade and that he ordered the attacks to “impair the Houthis' ability to continue their destabilizing behavior and to protect and protect U.S. forces and personnel in one of the world's most critical waterways.” defend”.

U.S. Central Command said in a separate statement that its damage assessment showed no civilian casualties.

The Iran-allied Houthis have carried out more than 100 missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war.

The Yemeni group viewed its attacks as a sign of support for Palestinians facing Israeli bombardment, although it has also attacked ships that had no apparent connection to the war.

The latest U.S. bombings come a day after United Nations special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned that the country risked being drawn further into military escalation in the Middle East.

While Yemenis “yearn” for peace, hopes for an end to escalating violence in the region “seem distant,” Grundberg told the UN Security Council.

“Now, like many in the Middle East, their hopes for a better future are coming under the shadow of a potentially catastrophic regional conflagration,” he said.