Stealth B-2 Bomber Hits the Houthis in Yemen. But Will It Matter Long-Term?

Are B-2 Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthi Insurgents Part of a Broader U.S. Strategy?: The United States is upping the ante against the Houthi terror group in Yemen. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered at least one sortie of strikes at hardened military targets against the Iran-backed Houthis on October 17. The operation is a significant development because it was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers.

Pilots with the 131st Bomb Wing conduct pre-flight checks in a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, June 6, 2024. The B-2 is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions anywhere on the globe through previously impenetrable defenses. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. John E. Hillier)

B-2 Bomber: What Did They Hit?

The B-2s targeted five underground weapons installations in Yemen that were seen as crucial storage strongholds that have been used to attack military and civilian shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The bombs hit near Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa and the city of Saada.

Secretary of Defense Take a Moment to Brag

“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,” Austin said in an official DOD statement. “The employment of US Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates U.S. global strike capabilities to take action against these targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”

It is assumed that the U.S. Air Force used bunker-busting bombs, although Austin did not specify the types of munitions deployed.

This is the first time the Air Force has opted for B-2 bombers against targets in Yemen.

Houthis Are Tough Customers

The Houthis claim to be launching their own strikes against maritime targets because of Israel’s war against Hamas and Hezbollah. They won’t stop until there is some form of ceasefire, the terror group has stated.

Is Another Example of ‘Mowing the Grass’?

This is another example of the tit for tat nature of America’s campaign against the Houthis. The Islamist rebels fire missiles and drones at U.S. naval shipping and then the Americans respond with their own missile strikes. There is no end in sight to this “mow the grass” counter-terror technique that the United States has used for so long since 9/11 in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Yemen. It does not appear there is a more comprehensive U.S. grand strategy to address terrorism in the region.

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base taxi and take-off during exercise Spirit Vigilance on Whiteman Air Force Base on November 7th, 2022. Routine exercises like Spirit Vigilance assure our allies and partners that Whiteman Air Force Base is ready to execute nuclear operations and global strike anytime, anywhere. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Bryson Britt)

America Is Getting More Involved in the Middle East

The United States has around 2,500 troops in Iraq and an additional 900 military personnel in Syria to fight ISIS terrorists. The Houthis, like Hamas and Hezbollah, are supported and armed by Iran, which is one of the biggest state sponsors of terrorism in the world. It isn’t easy to envision a scenario that would give the United States a total victory against the Houthis.

This latest attack from the B-2s may hurt the insurgents but it will likely only harden the group’s resolve against the United States and Israel leading to a larger proxy war in the region.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.