For the first time in over seven years, the United States deployed the B-2A Spirit nuclear-capable bomber to strike underground Houthi targets in Yemen.
The US B-2 stealth bombers, along with other fighter jets, conducted major strikes on Houthi underground weapon storage sites in Yemen on October 16. The strike, announced in a statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, is the first-ever to be conducted by a strategic bomber inside Yemen.
“Today, U.S. military forces, including U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers, conducted precision strikes against five hardened underground weapons storage locations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. U.S. 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,” read the statement.
Since the bomber has not been deployed to the Middle East recently, it is likely that the bomber flew for the mission from its base in the United States, conducted the strikes, and returned to the base. Although the US and UK have launched several strikes on Houthi targets since last year in response to continuing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the B-2 is a far larger platform that can carry a far heavier load of bombs.
The Pentagon did not name the weapon that was dropped by the B-2As for these bunker-busting strikes in Yemen. However, several military analysts conjectured that it could be the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), the heaviest bombs in the US arsenal.
Only the B-2 Spirit can carry the GBU-57 which weighs a massive 30,000 lbs (14,000 kilograms). Some others wondered that the bomber could have dropped the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).
U.S. Central Command Conducts Multiple Strikes on Underground Iran-Backed Houthi Weapons Facilities pic.twitter.com/6YjQRVFvSD
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) October 17, 2024
EurAsian Times could verify these speculations.
The B-2 can carry a payload exceeding 40,000 lbs and has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 336,500 lbs, allowing it to engage a wide range of targets, from hardened bunkers to mobile enemy units.
The B-2 Spirit bomber is the only long-range penetrating bomber in the U.S. arsenal that combines nuclear and conventional capabilities with stealth, long-range strike, heavy payload, and precision weaponry—making it a force to reckon with. The B-2’s low-observable technology allows it to evade the most advanced air defense systems.
Its unique design integrates subsystems into a sleek, low-observable airframe with reduced acoustic, infrared, visual, and radar signatures, making it one of the most survivable aircraft in the world.
The bomber was deployed in Guam earlier this year to deter China. Moreover, the US has deployed it over several battlefields across the world for successful bombing runs, including in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
However, it is also because of these advanced capabilities that its deployment against Houthis is particularly noteworthy. A proxy of Iran, the Yemen-based Houthi militias do not have cutting-edge missile defense systems that warrant the USAF to dispatch a stealth bomber. Military watchers believe that the move was meant to send a message to Iran ahead of a likely Israeli strike on the West Asian country.
This further became evident because the B-2 was deployed for a bombing mission after more than seven years. The last time the bomber was deployed was in 2017 to attack an ISIS training camp in Libya. At the time, the two B-2s dropped 230 kilograms of Joint Attack Direct Munition (JDAM) bombs on the targets and killed about 85 ISIS operatives.
US Bombing Of Houthi Targets Is A Warning To Iran
The strikes on Houthi targets come amid Iran’s warnings that it will launch a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel launches missile strikes on Iranian territory. Israel has already indicated that it was working to decide targets to hit inside Iran, and the strikes were “just a matter of time.” An escalation is, thus, likely on the cards.
The official Pentagon statement emphasized: “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. The employment of U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrate U.S. global strike capabilities to take action against these targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”
The wording has been interpreted as a signal to Iran, which is known for its underground military facilities. To protect its military assets from missile and drone strikes, Iran has built an extensive underground missile infrastructure, missile storage, command and control centers, air bases, as well as underground uranium enrichment and nuclear facilities.
Moreover, the timing of the US attack on an underground facility of an Iranian proxy cannot be missed. The message appears to be clear: the US could do the same to Iran if its ally, Israel, is attacked.
The strike, according to analysts, is meant to establish deterrence and convey to Iran that the USAF is ready to use its might to destroy Iran’s heavily fortified facilities.
According to reports on Israeli television, Israel has decided on the targets it may attack in Iran, suggesting that Israel is now closer to retaliating for the Islamic Republic’s major ballistic missile attack earlier this month.
As it wraps up preparations, which involve “sensitive coordination” with other nations in the region, the military has reportedly given Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a list of targets. The Israeli media reported that “the political echelon” had confirmed the targets.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has assured US President Joe Biden that Israel only plans to strike military targets in Iran and not nuclear or oil facilities that could trigger “further escalation” and increase the risk of the US being drawn into a wider conflict.
In fact, speculation is rife that the US decided to provide Israel with the advanced THAAD missile defense system only after Israel assured that it would only hit Iran’s military facilities. An Israeli strike on Iran is expected before the US presidential election, which will take place on November 5.
However, Israel’s assurances have done little to quell fears of a region-wide escalation. The commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards warned Israel on October 17 against hitting the Islamic Republic.
”We tell you (Israel) that if you commit any aggression against any point, we will painfully attack the same point of yours,” Hossein Salami said in a televised speech, adding that Iran can penetrate Israel’s defenses.
