US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the implementation of “precise” strikes targeting 5 “fortified underground weapons storage sites” in areas under the control of the Houthis in Yemen, who are classified on US terrorist lists.
The US Army carried out these raids using B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and it is the first time that the United States has used this bomber to attack the Houthis, since the launch of its operations in the Red Sea, with the aim of limiting the right-wing group’s ability, classified as a terrorist, to target ship traffic in the waters off Yemen. Yemen.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement, “US forces targeted a number of underground facilities belonging to the Houthis, which contain various weapons components of the same types that the Houthis used to target civilian and military ships throughout the region.”
The US Minister stressed in his statement that “the use of long-range stealth bombers of the B-2 Spirit model (..) 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.”
Retired Admiral Robert Moret of the US Navy, and fourth director of the National Geographic Intelligence Agency, in an interview with Al-Hurra TV, attributed the use of these bombers to a number of reasons, most notably their ability to reach these places and target them accurately and in an effective manner.
He added that despite the importance of the American strike, he explained that the Houthis have other warehouses that require their elimination, and that the Pentagon has placed these targets among its priorities, noting that what the United States has implemented so far in the Red Sea are “defensive positions” targeting ammunition depots and leadership positions of the Houthis, Using this type of aircraft is more effective compared to using drones.
Moret explained that the Houthis’ resort to storing weapons underground is evidence that these stores contain ballistic missiles, “winged” missiles, and drones of various types, 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’ talk that launching their operations in the Red Sea was to support the Palestinians in Gaza, pointing out that what this group did only affected Egypt’s economy and maritime navigation in the Suez Canal and did not provide anything for the Palestinians, indicating that the American strikes reduced the capabilities of The Houthis and prevented them from carrying out further operations using missiles and drones, he said.
Robert Moret explained that the other reason for the United States’ use of the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers is to enhance and support the capabilities of the American army in the region, whose number is estimated at about fifty thousand soldiers, and that the use of these weapons will contribute to reducing the threats that the countries of the region are currently exposed to, especially from the militias. Supported by Iran in Iraq and Syria.
He added that the use of these aircraft is a message to Iran that the United States has the capabilities and will use its weapons to stand by its allies and prevent any threat that affects the security of the region, as he put it.
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