US strikes Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen: Live updates | CNN

The US has carried out a round of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, targeting five underground weapons storage facilities using B-2 stealth bombers.

Here’s what you need to know about the attack:

Who are the Houthis and why is the US attacking them? The Houthis are part of an Iran-backed alliance of militant groups in the Middle East.

The alliance, which spans Yemen, Syria, Gaza and Iraq, has been attacking Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began. The Houthis say they won’t stop striking Israel and its allies until a ceasefire is reached in the Palestinian enclave.

While they do not pose as much of a threat to Israel and the US as other Iranian proxies, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis have for months targeted ships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, in response to the war in Gaza.

Austin said he authorized the US strikes at the direction of President Joe Biden to “further degrade” the Houthis’ abilities after more than a year of attacks by the Houthis on US and international vessels in the region. The facilities were holding “various weapons components” used to target vessels in the Middle East, the defense secretary said.

Why did the US use B-2 bombers? Thursday’s attack was the first time the US used the B-2 stealth bomber to attack the Houthis in Yemen since the beginning of the war in Gaza. The B-2 is a much larger platform than the fighter jets that have been used so far to target Houthi facilities and weapons, capable of carrying a far heavier load of bombs.

Austin said US forces used the B-2 bomber to show the US can target facilities that “our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened, or fortified.”

How have the Houthis responded? A Houthi spokesperson said “America will pay the price for its aggression on Yemen, and as we have said before, its aggression will not deter Yemen from its stance in support of Gaza.”