NYN | News
The National Interest reported in a striking article, citing U.S. military movements, that the deployment of B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia Island in the heart of the Indian Ocean has raised questions about the effectiveness of this move.
The newspaper pointed out that the dispatch of six such bombers — each costing $1.1 billion — was supposed to serve as a show of force against the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen and Iran.
According to the report, these aircraft represent about one-third of the U.S. B-2 fleet and are capable of executing precision strikes using bunker-busting bombs like the GBU-57.
The report added that the results of the air operations were extremely limited and described as “exaggerated” when facing armed groups like the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen.
Despite the U.S. Department of Defense declaring the strikes against the Houthis (Ansar Allah) a “success,” claiming over 60 people were killed and strategic sites destroyed, the group’s response was strong, as they shot down a third U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone on April 6.
The group also continued digging new tunnels, reflecting a failure to curb its capabilities.
At the same time, Iran closely monitored the operations and may have drawn strategic lessons for fortifying its nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow, which are even more complex than the tunnels in Yemen.
The report concluded with a sharp question: Is it time to actually use bunker-busting bombs? Or have the bombers merely become a symbol of a power that is no longer effective against mounting challenges?
Amid ongoing challenges facing America in the region, it seems that airstrikes are no longer sufficient to assert dominance.
