There is an indication that a large-scale military operation involving the B-2 strategic stealth bombers has been planned in the Middle East, likely against the Iran-backed Houthi militias that have been relentlessly launching missiles at US assets in the region.
The US Air Force (USAF) has purportedly dispatched at least five to seven B-2 strategic bombers from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to the British territory of Diego Garcia. It is home to a US military base and has been used to launch air strikes in the Middle Eastern region in the past. Multiple open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts tracking military aircraft activity revealed this on social media.
The radio communication between the bombers and the ground stations in San Francisco and between the bombers and Australian Air Traffic Control (ATC) led to the revelation. The recordings of these interactions are now publicly available and have been posted to social media in the last 24 hours.
Initially, three B-2 bombers were known to be headed to Diego Garcia, followed by a fourth, which allegedly met with an incident upon landing. Later, a fifth B-2 bomber reportedly departed Whiteman for the highly strategic Indian Ocean territory.
According to incoming reports, at least two more bombers are expected to land at the base. The USAF currently has 20 B-2 bombers stationed at Whiteman, meaning more than 30% of these bombers are now forward deployed to Diego Garcia.
Additionally, satellite imagery (published on social media) shows multiple C-130 military transport aircraft and KC-135 air refueling tankers deployed to Diego Garcia in the last two days. However, due to varying claims, the EurAsian Times could not determine the exact number of these aircraft at the time of writing this report.
However, this large-scale military deployment has raised suspicions that a major military operation is about to begin.
The deployment coincides with a recent spike in US attacks against the Yemen-based Houthis militia, which is backed by Iran. The US launched a massive air strike on the Houthis on March 16, days after the militia threatened to resume its attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea. The US and the UK have been at the forefront of conducting air strikes on the Houthis for more than a year now.
However, this time, the US military’s plans appear to be much bigger. The Houthis, who pledge solidarity with Palestine, have launched several strikes on Israel this month, including on the Ben Gurion airport. The group also launched at least three strikes on the US aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, on multiple occasions last week, albeit unsuccessfully.
The US military has intensified its attacks on the group this month. US President Donald Trump threatened Houthis on his Truth Social, saying, “HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE,” if the group does not halt the strikes immediately.
With no letup on Houthis’ strikes on Israel and US military assets in the region, the US has seemingly launched a massive military build-up. For one, the USS Harry S. Truman deployment has been extended, and the USS Carl Vinson has been deployed from the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) to the Central Command (CENTCOM). According to some reports, the F-35 stealth fighters are also on their way.
The basing of these bombers at Diego Garcia is significant and could likely alarm Houthis and their Iranian backers. The distance between Diego Garcia, where the bombers are stationed, and Yemen is over 3,600 kilometers, whereas the range of an unfurled B-2 bomber is 9,600 kilometers.
The base has been used to carry out airstrikes in the Middle East and was an integral part of US-led operations throughout the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the Afghanistan War.
Having said that, the B-2 bombers have been used to pound the Houthis in the past. The stealth bombers were first used in October last year to conduct strikes on five underground weapons storage sites located in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. These facilities were identified as vital for the group’s military operations.
Although the US and UK have launched several strikes on Houthi targets since last year in response to continuing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the B-2 is a far larger platform that can carry a far heavier load of bombs. The B-2 can carry a payload exceeding 40,000 lbs and has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 336,500 lbs, allowing it to engage a wide range of targets, from hardened bunkers to mobile enemy units.
The B-2 Spirit bomber is the only long-range penetrating bomber in the U.S. arsenal that combines nuclear and conventional capabilities with stealth, long-range strike, heavy payload, and precision weaponry, making it a force to reckon with. The B-2’s low-observable technology allows it to evade the most advanced air defense systems.
It is also noteworthy that the recent spike in military activity coincides with the embarrassment caused by the leak of key war plans against the Houthis.
The Big Houthi Strike Leak On Houthi PC Small Group
Shortly before the United States launched an attack on Houthis earlier this month, some Trump administration officials discussed their war plans against the militia in a messaging group. The group, named ‘Houthi PC small group,’ accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg, a journalist with The Atlantic.
The Atlantic published a first-hand account of what transpired in the group, along with screenshots, on March 25.
Goldberg claimed that on March 11, he received an unsolicited invitation to the Signal messaging program from an account called Michael Waltz. Two days later, he was added to the group conversation regarding Yemen and Houthis. The group included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, among others.
Goldberg said that two hours before the bombings, he had seen confidential military plans for the operations, including targets, timing, and weapon packages.
This has been termed as one of the biggest and most foolish military leaks from the United States of all time and comes as a major embarrassment to the Trump administration. The leak was blasted by the Democrats, who termed it a massive security breach.
The screen grabs attached by Goldberg in his exclusive story showed the officials’ reactions. The US national security chief posted three emojis after the strike: “a fist, an American flag, and fire” in response to the operation’s success.
The leak has since become a subject of mockery and memes on social media.
Still reeling from the biggest fumble of all time, Hegseth responded to the leak by calling Goldberg “deceitful” and a “discredited so-called journalist,” citing the publication’s prior critical coverage of Trump. He did not explain how Goldberg got on the messaging chain or why Signal was being used to discuss the classified operation.
Later, the National Security Council said in a statement that it was investigating the addition of a journalist’s number to the chain in the Signal group conversation. Although it wasn’t immediately clear whether the information was classified, military operations are frequently classified or at least kept safe to safeguard service members and operational security.
In a brief interview with Garrett Haake of NBC News, Trump dismissed the event as “the only glitch in two months” of his administration, saying it “turned out not to be a serious one.” Later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that “no classified material was sent to the thread” and that no military plans were discussed.
As the Trump administration denies that war plans were being discussed on the group chat, it appears that a real war is about to take place against the Houthis.
