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US long-range B-2 stealth bombers target Yemen’s Houthi rebels
The U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels early Thursday, a major escalation in the American response to the rebels’ attacks on Mideast shipping lanes that appeared to be a warning to Iran as well. Gerard Filitti, Senior Counsel for the Lawfare Project, joined LiveNOW from FOX to discuss.
null - The U.S. military sent B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Thursday.
This attack appeared to be the first use of the B-2 in combat in years and the first time the flying wing targeted sites in Yemen.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tells the Associated Press that B-2 bombers targeted "five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen."
RELATED: Houthi rebels strike a U.S.-owned ship off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, raising tensions
FILE-A US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber lands at RAF Fairford in Goucestershire. (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images)
U.S. officials didn’t provide information on the damage done in the attack and tell the AP it didn’t believe any civilians have been killed in the strike.
The AP reported that the Red Sea has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began targeting ships traveling through the waterway, which once saw $1 trillion of cargo pass through it annually.
Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023.
RELATED: Houthis vow 'escalation' after US, UK launch more strikes in Yemen
They have also captured one vessel and sunk two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. The AP noted that other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels.
According to the AP, the rebels say that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S., or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s conflict against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
RELATED: US launches another missile strike on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen
The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel and have shot down U.S. military MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Rebels have also threatened new attacks in response to Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon and its killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The B-2's used in Yemen comes just two days after U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned Yemen's frozen war could intensify the Mideast wars and the Houthis' taking captive U.N. and aid workers in an internationally criticized crackdown, the AP noted.