US bombers pound targets in Yemen

The US has used long-range bombers to strike five targets in parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi militant group, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Houthis, who control large swathes of the war-torn country, have been targeting commercial ships passing through the Red Sea since last November. The attacks have been made on vessels that the militant group believes are associated with Israel, and are intended to put pressure on the Jewish state to stop its military action in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. In response, US forces launched Operation Prosperity Guardian against the Houthis last December.

The latest US bombing raid, as described by Austin, involved B-2 Spirit long-range aircraft and was aimed at five underground weapons storage sites. The defense secretary described it as 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.”

“The Houthis’ illegal attacks continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce, threaten environmental catastrophe, and put innocent civilian lives and US and partner forces’ lives at risk,” Austin added.

Yemeni media have said the US struck locations near the capital, Sanaa, and around the Houthi stronghold of Saada.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has vowed to maintain military support for Israel, even as American officials express concern over the rising number of civilian casualties and the disruption of humanitarian relief in Gaza caused by the operations of the Israel Defense Forces.

In a rare gesture of discontent earlier this week, Washington threatened to halt further deliveries of weapons to Israel, should it fail to “demonstrate a sustained commitment” to improving the humanitarian situation in the enclave, according to a joint letter that Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent to their Israeli counterparts.

The State Department was previously accused of deceiving Congress when it certified in May that Israel was complying with a US law which prohibits military assistance to nations that obstruct the delivery of American humanitarian aid.

In addition to commercial vessels, the Houthis have attacked Western warships in the region and claimed to have launched missiles directly at Israel on several occasions, describing their actions as a campaign of solidarity with the Palestinians.