(Bloomberg) — US B-2 stealth bombers struck weapons storage sites linked to Houthi rebels in Yemen, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday night, the latest effort to blunt attacks by the Iran-backed group that have roiled commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
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The bombers and other aircraft struck several targets, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing an operation that has yet to be publicly disclosed. The Pentagon was set to announce the attack later Wednesday night.
ABC News reported the strike earlier.
The US and Israel have repeatedly struck the Houthis, who began attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after Israel began its campaign against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack.
Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Disrupt Global Trade, US Spies Say
Yet despite numerous strikes on the group, the US and its allies have so far been unable to halt its attacks. In a June assessment, US intelligence officials said Houthi assaults on commercial vessels in the Red Sea led to a 90% decline in container shipping through the area between December and February.
The B-2s flew to their targets from Whitman Air Force Base in Missouri. It marked the first time since January 2017 that the wing-shaped stealth bomber has flown a combat mission. Back then, two B-2s flew 30-hour round-trip mission to bomb an Islamic State training camp in Libya.
Each B-2 is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of bombs, including 80 500-pound GPS-guided munitions.
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