U.S. bombers strike Iran-backed Houthi weapons storage sites in Yemen
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Houthi security force members stand guard in January in the area of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, which they control. Photo: Mohammed Huwais/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. forces bombed Houthi weapons storage facilities that the Iran-backed rebel group controls in Yemen in "precision strikes" authorized by President Biden, United States military officials announced late Wednesday.
Why it matters: U.S. and allied firepower has so far failed to thwart months of Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and other key Middle East waterways, affecting an estimated 65-plus countries and at least 29 major shipping and energy companies.
The big picture: Biden authorized the strikes involving the U.S. Air Force and the Navy "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," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a Wednesday night statement.
- The "precision airstrikes" on "numerous" Houthi facilities by B-2 bombers and other aircraft were taken as part of efforts to stop the group's "reckless and unlawful attacks" on key international shipping lanes in the Middle East, per a statement from U.S. Central Command late Wednesday.
- They were also conducted to degrade the Houthis' ability to threaten regional partners, CENTCOM said.
Zoom in: Its forces targeted underground facilities that housed "missiles, weapon components and other munitions used to target military and civilian vessels throughout the region," CENTCOM said.
- U.S. forces were conducting battle damage assessments and there was no immediate indication of civilian casualties, according to CENTCOM.
- The Houthi-run Al-Masirah reported that U.S. and U.K. forces had carried out strikes on several areas around the capital.
- British officials did not immediately comment on the claims, but U.K. forces have joined the U.S. in conducting airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen as part of a multinational maritime security force that was launched to protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi missile and drone attacks.
State of play: The Biden administration in January re-designated Houthis as a "global terrorist group" in response to the Houthis' attacks on ships, which the rebels said they began in October last year to protest the Israel-Hamas war.
- In addition to the shipping attacks, Houthis have launched drones against Israel and last month fired a long-range missile on the country.
- The Israeli military has conducted retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
What they're saying: "For over a year, the Iran-backed Houthis, Specially Designated Global Terrorists, have recklessly and unlawfully attacked U.S. and international vessels transiting the Red Sea, the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden," Austin said.
- "The Houthis' illegal attacks continue to disrupt the free flow of international commerce, threaten environmental catastrophe, and put innocent civilian lives and U.S. and partner forces' lives at risk."
Go deeper: How Israel's war spread beyond Gaza
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
