Over a year has passed since Iran-sponsored Houthi terrorists began attacking Red Sea shipping.

Long-range stealthy US B-2 bombers, capable of flying intercontinental distances to strike enemies, attacked Iran-supported Houthi terrorists in Yemen. The B-2 demonstrated that the US can reach out and touch an enemy anywhere on the globe. Hitting the Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels’ weapons storage facilities comes close on the heels of the US Treasury applying stronger sanctions on Iran’s oil production and sales.

Houthis Experience the Long Arm of US Military Might

Unlike previous tit-for-tat airstrikes, the most recent US assault on the Iran-supplied Houthis increases the pressure on Iran. The Houthi terrorists were hit with one of the most significant US air attacks since the Houthis began missile strikes on Red Sea shipping more than a year ago. US Central Command, the US combatant command with responsibility for the Gulf Region, posted a press release on X that explained: “CENTCOM forces targeted the Houthi’s hardened underground facilities housing missiles, weapons components, and other munitions used to target military and civilian vessels throughout the region. US Air Force and US Navy assets, including US Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers, were part of the operation. The employment of the B-2 bomber demonstrates US global strike capabilities to reach these targets, when necessary, anytime, anywhere.”

But why use the B-2 strategic stealth bomber when there are numerous US Navy and US Air Force assets in the region? Though more than capable, the B-2 Spirit must fly long missions to reach the Yemeni target area. Historically, B-2s have launched from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and the British Indian Ocean Territory, Diego Garcia. From Whiteman, the mission is roughly ten hours (one way) to reach out and touch the Houthis and about five and a half hours from Diego Garcia. Whether flying from either location, the message is two-fold: the US is willing to use among its most valuable assets to engage its enemies, and there is nowhere on earth that Iran’s proxies can hide from the long arm of America’s military might.

A second reason for using the B-2 Spirit is its capacity for carrying large weapons. When asked about the type of weapons used against the Houthi missile and other weapons storage warehoused deep in underground bunkers, Defense Department Press Secretary Major General Patrick Ryder told the Pentagon press corps:

“And in this particular strike, using its unique capability and ability to carry a large payload to deliver munitions that could penetrate and strike these deep underground facilities that were storing components that the Houthis have been using … so for operational security reasons, I’m just not going to be able to get into the type of ordnance that was employed in this mission.”

Giving a little peak under the tent, the press secretary explained that the B-2 is a “versatile aircraft that can carry a wide range of munitions tailored for the particular operation that it’s been tasked to do.” The targets are weapons storage bunkers buried deep underground. One weapon, perhaps the only one, capable of reaching and destroying such underground facilities is the US Air Force’s Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP), designated the GBU-57A/B MOP. The MOP is a 30,000-pound GPS precision-guided munition explicitly designed to be carried by the B-2 Spirit. So, connecting the dots, it’s likely the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists were introduced up close and personal to the GBU-57 dropped by a B-2 Spirit.

Now, if Iranian mullahs were paying attention, some soul-searching might be going on in Tehran. If the US can fly halfway around the world undetected with strategic stealth bombers and destroy stockpiles of sophisticated guided missiles the Houthi terrorists thought they could keep safe by burying them very deep underground, then no underground storage or command and control bunkers are safe. No nuclear weapons development facilities placed deep inside mountains can escape, either.

US Complements Airstrike With Increased Sanctions

To reinforce the point that the US has had enough, the US Treasury finally went after Iran’s source of income with sanctions. In an Oct. 11 press release, the Treasury Department announced “expanding sanctions on Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors in response to Iran’s October 1 attack on Israel, its second direct attack on Israel this year.” The sanctions will also target what is often referred to as “Iran’s Ghost Fleet,” which is a “network of illicit shipping facilitators in multiple jurisdictions which, through obfuscation and deception, load and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia” according to the US Treasury statement.

It appears, at long last, the Biden-Harris administration is getting serious, at least for the moment, about holding Iran and its Houthi terrorist proxy accountable. Some cynics may ask why now. These demonstrations of US resolve in the Middle East also came within three weeks of America’s national elections. One of the most compelling criticisms of the Biden-Harris national security team has been its inconsistent impact on the Iranian proxies and kid-glove approach to Iran. Maybe it’s a new day at the White House.

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