A mysterious airport off the coast of Yemen is now operational. What is its connection to the US military's transfer of advanced stealth bombers?

Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show that a mysterious airstrip off the coast of Yemen in a key maritime choke point now appears ready to receive flights and B-2 bombers within striking distance of the country on Saturday.

A review conducted by the agency found that the new US operation under President Donald Trump appears more comprehensive than that under former President Joe Biden, as the United States shifts from targeting only launch sites to shooting senior officials in addition to dropping bombs on cities.

The US Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, confirmed an airstrike on Friday morning.

It released a black-and-white video on Saturday morning showing an airstrike targeting a site in Yemen. Although it did not identify the location, an Associated Press analysis of the video's details points to a known airstrike that occurred Friday in Sanaa.

The clip shows the bomb hitting the Houthi-controlled army's general command headquarters, something the rebels did not report.

The extent of the damage and potential casualties were not immediately clear. The attacks followed a night of airstrikes early Friday, which appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began on March 15.

The new strikes come as the United States releases video of one of the bombings.

US Central Command ( CENTCOM ) forces attack Houthi positions...#Houthis_are_terrorists pic.twitter.com/dJbNGyeVfW

- US Central Command (@CENTCOMArabic) March 28, 2025

According to the report, analysts believe the Houthi rebels may be underestimating the death toll because the raids targeted military and intelligence sites they operate.

The Houthis have begun threatening both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, US allies in the region, over the US strikes. This comes despite the fact that both countries, which had sought separate peace agreements with the Houthis, distanced themselves from the renewed US airstrike campaign.

An Associated Press analysis of satellite images taken Saturday shows that the U.S. military has moved at least four long-range B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, a base well beyond the reach of the rebels and one that avoids using bases of its allies in the Middle East. Three of them were spotted there this week.

This means that a quarter of the nuclear-capable B-2s the US has in its arsenal are now deployed at the base. The Biden administration used B-2s equipped with conventional bombs against Houthi targets last year.

The US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman launched attacks from the Red Sea, and the US military plans to bring the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson back from Asia as well.

Meanwhile, France announced that its sole aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is stationed in Djibouti, the East African country on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. France has previously shot down Houthi drones, but it is not part of the US campaign there.

Mysterious airstrip in Bab al-Mandab appears ready

Satellite images captured by BBC Planet Labs on Friday show that an airstrip appears to be ready on Mayun Island, a volcanic outcrop in the middle of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The images show that the airstrip has been painted with markings "09" and "27," east and west, respectively.

The Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis acknowledged the presence of "equipment" in Mayun, also known as Perim. However, air and sea traffic to Mayun linked the construction operation to the United Arab Emirates, which supports the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist force in Yemen.

According to the report, global powers have recognized the island's strategic location for hundreds of years, especially with the opening of the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

The work in Mayun follows the completion of a similar airstrip, likely to be built by the UAE on Abd al-Kuri Island, which rises above the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden.

Source: Associated Press - Translation: Yemen Youth Net