On Wednesday for the first time, B-2 bombers carried out precision strikes on what the US Defense Secretary claimed were weapon storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. Five underground arms storage facilities were targeted.
The facility contained advanced equipment used to target US, other international military units and civilian vessels through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. U.S. Central Command said “these actions were taken to degrade the Houthis’ capability to continue unlawful attacks.”
US-Israel Links
The B-2 bombing comes at a time when U.S. troops have begun arriving in Israel for the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system. It will bolster Israeli air defences against Iranian missile attacks.
Earlier this month, the US had carried out 15 strikes against targets linked to Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen, where residents reported blasts at military outposts and an airport.
Houthi fighters in Yemen have carried out nearly 100 attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea since November. They say that they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Israel’s year-long war in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.
What Is B-2 Bomber?
The B-2 is a low-observable heavy strategic bomber built to fly at speeds of over 1,000 km-an hour and penetrate dense anti-aircraft defences. Designed by the aviation company Northrop Grumman, it has a two-man crew and can deliver conventional and thermonuclear bombs.
Twenty one of these aircraft were built at a cost of a little over $2 billion, with 19 reported currently in service.
The B-2 provides global strike capabilities for the US Air Force given its ability to fly at 50,000 feet altitude and cover 19,000-km with one mid-air refuelling. It has been used in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
