U.S. stealth bombers deployed to target Houthi bunkers

American B-2 stealth bombers targeted underground storage areas holding weapons for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, U.S. Central Command reported late Wednesday EST. The Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked merchant vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and elsewhere in recent months, the military said. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also repeatedly attacked Israel. The bombing raid conducted early Thursday in local time sought to undermine the capabilities of the Iran-supported militants, Central Command said. While the U.S. has repeatedly struck at the Houthis with rockets, the recent operation is the first combat reported for the flying wing bombers in years.

Has the United States conducted any other strikes in the region? Late last week, U.S. Central Command confirmed that its warplanes carried out a barrage of airstrikes against targets in Syria affiliated with the Islamic State. The strikes sought to disrupt the terrorist group’s ability to attack U.S. interests.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how the United States is deploying more forces to the Middle East following Iranian attacks against Israel.