US carries out second consecutive night of strikes in Yemen, defense official says
(CNN) — The United States has carried out a second consecutive night of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, a US defense official said Sunday.
Details of the types of weapons, targets or locations of the strikes were not immediately available, though there were reports of explosions in the Amran and Saada governorates, north of the capital of Sanaa, where the US has carried out strikes in the past.
On Saturday, the US used fighter jets to carry out a series of strikes against Houthi sites in at least three different locations, including facilities the Iran-backed rebel group used to store advanced conventional weapons that have been used to target US warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The Red Sea is a vital waterway that connects to the Suez Canal, through which 10% to 15% of the world trade passes. Activities along the strait have effectively closed amid ongoing attacks.
The Houthis, along with Hamas and Hezbollah, are all part of an Iran-led alliance spanning Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Iraq that has attacked Israel and its allies since the war in Gaza began. They say they won’t stop striking Israel and its allies until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave.
The Houthi attacks come amid Yemen’s dire humanitarian crisis –– worsened since a 2014 civil war when Houthi forces stormed the capital Sanaa and toppled the internationally-recognized, Saudi-backed government.
The Arabian Peninsula nation, home to more than 34 million people, is plagued by severe food shortages exacerbated by climate catastrophes. Earlier this year, the country was struck by deadly flooding that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee warned makes things worse for the 4.5 million Yemenis currently internally displaced and in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
The US has struck Houthis targets in Yemen multiple times over the last 11 months but the attacks have continued. In mid-October, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US struck the militant group using stealth B-2 bombers for the first time. B-2 bombers are among the most sophisticated weapons in the country’s long-range strike arsenal, capable of carrying a far larger payload than fighter jets.
The attack was authorized at the direction of President Joe Biden, Austin said, to “make clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks.”
CNN reported last month that the US has strengthened its military posture in the region amid Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon. US forces in the region include a carrier strike group, several additional guided missile destroyers, an amphibious ready group, a marine expeditionary unit and a broad range of aircraft, including fighter and attack aircraft.
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