The US Air Force bombed Houthi rebel positions in Yemen on Wednesday night. Al Jazeera quoted US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as saying that the B-2 Spirit bomber had accurately struck 5 targets near Yemen's capital, Sana'a.
Austin said the Houthi rebels had hidden the deadly weapons underground. They used it to attack other countries and target ships in the Red-Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The US Defense Secretary said that these attacks were carried out on the direction of President Biden. He said that our reply makes it clear that no matter how deep the enemy hides his weapons underground, we will find them and destroy them.
Houthi rebels also confirmed the attack. However, he did not give any information on the extent of the damage.
According to CNN, this is the first time the US has used the B-2 Spirit bomber in Yemen. Before this, the US Army was using fighter jets in Yemen. Just a month ago, the US deployed B-2 stealth bombers at the secret military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
America has 19 B-2 stealth bombers
According to the report, the B-2 stealth bomber is considered to be America's deadliest weapon. During the Cold War, America and Russia were engaged in a dangerous arms race. It was then prepared in America. The B-2 stealth bomber was produced from 1987 to 2000.
The US had a target of 132 units of the B-2 stealth bomber, but only 21 were produced. Two B-2 aircraft suffered accidents in 2008 and 2022. America now has only 19 B-2 stealth bombers left.
The B-2 aircraft is capable of carrying more bombs than fighter jets. It can also carry nuclear weapons. According to some reports, the B-2 aircraft is no longer in production due to over budget. America has not sold this aircraft to any country till date.
Why did the US attack the hideouts of the Houthi rebels?
Israel has been attacking Gaza since October 7. In response, the Houthi rebels are targeting ships of Israel's allies at sea. According to CNN, Houthi rebels have so far attacked more than 100 ships at sea.
Yemen's Houthi rebels are pressuring Israel to end the war.
Who are the Houthi rebels?
- Civil war started in Yemen in 2014. Its origin is the Shia-Sunni dispute. The two communities have been at loggerheads since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, culminating in a civil war, according to a Carnegie Middle East Center report. In 2014, Shiite rebels opened a front against the Sunni government.
- This government was headed by President Abdrabbu Mansoor Hadi. Hadi seized power in February 2012 from former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been in power for a long time since the Arab Spring. Hadi was struggling to bring stability to the country in the midst of change. At the same time, the army split and the separatist Houthis gathered in the south.
- Iran and Saudi Arabia also jumped into this civil war in a bid for supremacy among the Arab countries. On the one hand, the Houthi rebels have received support from the Shia-dominated country of Iran. So the government of Sunni majority country Saudi Arabia.
- Within a short time, the rebels, known as the Houthis, took over much of the country. In 2015 the situation became such that the rebels forced the entire government into exile.
- The Houthi rebels have turned into a trend fighting group thanks to the support they are getting from Iran. The Houthi rebels also have modern weapons and their own helicopters.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
