The U.S. military struck five underground Houthi weapons facilities in Yemen yesterday, an attack that included the use of B-2 warplanes and specially built bombs. The strikes come just days after the U.S. said it would send the advanced THAAD air defense system to Israel, along with around 100 military personnel to run it. (New York Times; Reuters)
Our Take
A year ago, the Iran-backed Houthis’ entry into the conflict between Israel and Hamas was a surprising development that immediately had a significant impact. The group’s attacks on merchant shipping off the coast of Yemen temporarily paralyzed traffic through the trade corridor, and although the U.S. military’s response since then has significantly reduced the impact on shipping, the Houthis have not submitted. The group continues to occasionally attack ships in the Red Sea and launch missiles toward Israel.
The fact that the U.S. targeted the Houthis in such an intense and dramatic faction—deploying a B-2 stealth bomber and specially made explosives—is a reminder that the group is still very much an actor in the expanded conflict. At the same time, it is also a reminder that the U.S. is as well.