What are the reasons for Washington using B-2 bombers to target Houthi sites in Yemen?

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the implementation of "precision" strikes targeting five "fortified underground weapons storage sites" in areas under the control of the Houthis in Yemen, who are classified on US terrorism lists.

The US military carried out these raids using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the first time the United States has used this bomber to attack the Houthis, since launching its operations in the Red Sea, with the aim of limiting the ability of the Yemeni group, classified as a terrorist, to target shipping traffic in the waters off Yemen.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that "US forces targeted a number of Houthi underground facilities that housed various weapons components of the same types that the Houthis have used to target civilian and military vessels throughout the region."

The US Secretary of State stressed in his statement that "the use of long-range stealth bombers, the B-2 Spirit... demonstrates the global strike capabilities that the United States has to take action against these targets when necessary, at any time and in any place."

What is behind its use?

Retired Admiral Robert Moret of the US Navy, and the fourth director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, attributed the use of these bombers to several reasons, most notably their ability to reach these places and target them accurately and effectively, in an interview with the American Alhurra channel.

He added that despite the importance of the American strike, he explained that the Houthis have other warehouses that require elimination, and that the Pentagon has placed these targets among its priorities.

He pointed out that what the United States has implemented so far in the Red Sea are "defensive positions" targeting Houthi ammunition depots and command sites, and that the use of this type of aircraft is more effective compared to the use of drones.

Morit explained that the Houthis' resort to storing weapons underground is evidence that these warehouses contain ballistic missiles, "winged" missiles, and various types of drones, and that the United States was able to destroy many of these weapons before they were used by the Houthis in their operations.

The retired admiral refuted the Houthis’ claim that their operations in the Red Sea were to support the Palestinians in Gaza, noting that what this group did only affected the Egyptian economy and maritime navigation in the Suez Canal and did not provide anything to the Palestinians, noting that the American strikes reduced the capabilities of the Houthis and prevented them from carrying out more operations using missiles and drones, he said.

Robert Morritt explained that another reason for the United States to use B-2 Spirit stealth bombers is to enhance and support the capabilities of the American military in the region, whose number is estimated at about fifty thousand soldiers.

He pointed out that the use of these weapons will contribute to reducing the threats currently facing the countries of the region, especially from the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

Message to Iran

The American expert also considered that the use of these aircraft is a message to Iran that the United States has the capabilities and uses its weapons to stand by its allies and prevent any threat that affects the security of the region, according to his expression.

Similarly, the Swiss newspaper Le Temps said that the US military’s use of stealth bombers to carry out strikes in Yemen indicates that they are in fact a message to Tehran, noting that such bombers have not been used in a mission for 7 years, and the last to resort to them was former US President Barack Obama - at the end of his term - against a “jihadist base” in Libya in 2017.

Except for tests and some shows of force in northern Europe against Russia, the B-2 stealth bombers, or “flying wings,” the most expensive in American aviation history, have remained in their hangars in Missouri. But on Wednesday, the bombers were used in Yemen, bombing facilities and weapons depots controlled by the Houthis, according to the newspaper’s writer, Luis Lima.

The newspaper pointed out that, apart from returning to calm in global maritime traffic, it seems that the launch of stealth bombers in the skies of Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, and the city of Saada, the stronghold of the Houthis, has another meaning.

Here, the newspaper reported what US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said when he boasted that these raids are “unique evidence” of Washington’s ability to target facilities that “our adversaries” seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply they are buried or how well fortified they are, adding that the US use of long-range stealth bombers shows how far its reach is and that it can intervene “at any time and in any place.”

The newspaper saw this as a clear message to Iran, in the context of a possible new attack by Israel on Iran after Iranian missiles fell on it on October 1.

In this regard, she noted that US President Joe Biden caused a great uproar by admitting that he had “discussed” (to express his opposition) the possibility of bombing Iranian nuclear facilities.

However, Lotan says that experts point out that only the B-2 stealth bombers are capable of carrying the massive 13,600-kilogram GBU-57 anti-bunker bomb, which is capable of destroying some very deeply buried structures.

The newspaper revealed that the United States has only about 15 bombs of this type, and their manufacture was linked, from the beginning, to the threats posed by the nuclear facilities of North Korea and Iran, including the famous Natanz site, south of Tehran, which is partially dug under the mountain.

She stated that Israel could not strike Iranian underground facilities except in active cooperation with US forces.

But the newspaper warned that targeting Yemen exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe it is experiencing after it became one of the most isolated countries on the planet, with about 18 million Yemenis relying exclusively on humanitarian aid, and now it is turning into a "laboratory" to highlight the threats directed at Iran as it prepares for more with the escalation with Israel.

"We are deeply concerned about these attacks, which are affecting the ability to assist the population," said Joyce Msuya, a UN official.

Source: Alhurra + Lotan