The US military launched strikes on Wednesday against Houthi-controlled weapons storage facilities in Yemen, targeting sites linked to attacks on civilian and military vessels. The airstrikes, conducted by US Central Command came in response to the increasing threat posed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the region, as per US Central Command.
According to US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, American forces targeted five underground weapons storage locations.”US forces targeted several of the Houthis’ underground facilities housing various weapons components of types that the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels throughout the region,” Austin said.
The Pentagon confirmed that the strikes used precision munitions, including US Air Force B-2 bombers, and successfully hit hardened underground facilities. The locations were important to the Houthi militia’s ability to carry out attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, crucial areas for global shipping.
A US defence official, speaking to ABC News, said the weapons stored in these facilities had been used to “target military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-controlled media outlet, reported that the US and British airstrikes also targeted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and the northern city of Saada early on Thursday, though these claims have not yet been independently verified by US officials.
CENTCOM is currently conducting a battle damage assessment, with initial reports indicating no civilian casualties.
Defence secretary Austin’s statement also boasted of the US military’s “ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified”.
The Iran-backed Houthi militia, which controls parts of Yemen, has intensified missile and drone attacks on shipping vessels in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Houthis, who have publicly declared their support for Hamas, have targeted vessels in the region. The Red Sea sees an annual flow of $1 trillion in goods, and some shipping companies, concerned by the rising threat, suspended operations in the area late last year.
