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US escalates airstrikes in Yemen as four killed near port city
This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows six B-2 stealth bombers parked at Camp Thunder Cove in Diego Garcia on April 2, 2025, as a U.S. airstrike campaign continues against Yemen's Houthi rebels

SUSPECTED US air strikes pounded insurgent-held areas of Yemen into this morning, with the Houthis reporting that one strike killed at least four people near a Red Sea port city.

Meanwhile, satellite images taken today show at least six stealth B-2 Spirit bombers unusually stationed at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean amid the US’s Yemen campaign and escalating tensions with Iran.

It represents nearly a third of all the B-2 bombers in Washington’s arsenal, which is rarely deployed abroad.

Intense air strikes in Yemen under President Donald Trump in response to Houthi attacks on shipping linked to Israel’s war on Gaza have killed at least 65 people, according to Houthi casualty reports.

The campaign shows no sign of slowing with the Trump administration linking it to efforts to pressure Iran over its advancing nuclear programme.

While providing few details on targets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that more than 200 strikes had been carried out.

“Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks, and we have seen they have taken out Houthi leaders,” Ms Leavitt claimed.

“This operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored.”

The Houthis have not acknowledged any leadership losses, and the US has not identified any individuals killed.

However, leaked Signal messages between Trump officials and public statements suggest a key figure in the Houthis’ missile forces was targeted.

Overnight, a suspected US air strike hit what the Houthis described as a “water project” in Hodeida governorate’s Mansuriyah District, killing four people and wounding others.

Strikes also hit Hajjah, Saada and Sanaa governorates.

The nuclear-capable B-2, first used in combat during the 1999 Kosovo war, is rarely deployed due to its $1 billion (£772 million) price tag.

It has seen action in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, with the US reportedly using it last year to strike underground Houthi bases in Yemen.

Reports show that recent US operations against the Houthis under Mr Trump appear more extensive than those under his predecessor, expanding from solely targeting launch sites to firing at key personnel and dropping bombs on cities.

The escalation after the group threatened to begin targeting Israeli ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.

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