The Biden administration just went out of its way to prove that the U.S. military can bomb anything, anywhere in the world, at any time, by deciding to bomb what it said were weapons-storage areas in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen last night. “These actions were taken to degrade the Houthis’ capability to continue their reckless and unlawful attacks on international commercial shipping and on U.S., coalition, and merchant personnel and vessels in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, and to degrade their ability to threaten regional partners,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement issued last night. “CENTCOM forces targeted the Houthis’ hardened underground facilities housing missiles, weapons components, and other munitions used to target military and civilian vessels throughout the region.
“U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers, were part of the operation. The employment of the B-2 bomber demonstrates U.S. global strike capabilities to reach these targets, when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a separate statement: “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 use of the B-2 bombers could only have been a message aimed at Iran, since the B-2’s stealth characteristics would not be needed over Yemen.
SABA, Yemen News Agency, citing a security source, reported 15 raids by U.S. aircraft, 6 in the areas of Al-Telfzyon, Al-Hafaa, and Jarban north and south of the capital, Sana’a, and 9 more in the areas of Kahlan and Al-Abla, east of Saada city. The Houthi Foreign Ministry later charged that the U.S. strikes targeted civilian infrastructure and economic facilities, resulting in civilian casualties, including children, though it didn’t say how many were involved.
