Washington [US], October 18: The United States military has bombed a series of targets in areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, the US defence chief has said.
US Air Force B-2 stealth bombers conducted "precision strikes" against five underground weapons storage locations, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday.
The strikes hit "hardened" underground facilities used to store weapons components of the kind used by the Houthis to target civilian and military vessels in the region, Austin said.
"This was a unique demonstration of the United States' ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened or fortified," Austin added.
"The employment of US Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrate US global strike capabilities to take action against these targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere." The Houthis promised to retaliate, a statement on Thursday from its political bureau saying "we confirm that the American aggression will not pass without a response".
The Houthis' Al Masirah TV satellite news channel reported air strikes around Yemen's capital, Sanaa, which the group has held since 2014, and around its stronghold of Saada. It provided no immediate information on damage or casualties.
Since November, the Iran-aligned Houthis have carried out numerous attacks on Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in what they describe as a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's war on Gaza that has killed more than 42,000 people.
But the group has also attacked commercial vessels with no obvious connection to the war. As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, the Houthis are demanding that Israel halt its assault on Lebanon. Last month the Houthis claimed to have attacked the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon as well as three US navy warships with missiles and drones.
Source: Qatar Tribune