The US military has confirmed the inaugural combat deployment of its F-35C Lightning II fighter jet, targeting Houthi positions in Yemen. The fifth-generation aircraft, deployed by the US Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) earlier this month, struck weapons storage facilities housing anti-ship missiles used to target military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The fighter jet was launched from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
The intensified US strikes on Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen are a direct response to the group's persistent attacks on Red Sea shipping. Earlier this month, two US destroyers were targeted by Houthi drones and missiles while traversing the Bab al-Mandab Strait. In March, a Houthi strike on a Red Sea merchant ship tragically resulted in the deaths of three sailors. Since then, the US military has carried out multiple overnight strikes on Houthi facilities, including those in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.