The US Defense Department says that on Wednesday it carried out airstrikes against five hardened underground weapons storage facilities in areas of Yemen controlled by the anti-government Houthi group.

The department said on Wednesday that it conducted precision strikes on the targets, involving B-2 stealth bombers. US media said it was the first time a B-2 bomber had been used in an operation since 2017.

The US Central Command said its battle damage assessments do not indicate civilian casualties from the airstrikes.

Houthi members have carried out attacks on a large number of ships crossing the Red Sea since late last year, and say they are acting in solidarity with the Islamic group Hamas in its year-long war in Gaza against Israel.

The United States, along with Britain, has conducted airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen before.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement, "the employment of US Air Force B-2 Spirit long-range stealth bombers demonstrates US global strike capabilities" to take action against any targets when necessary, anytime, anywhere.

His statement could also be interpreted as a warning to Iran, which conducted major missile attacks on Israel on October 1. Israel is reportedly preparing to take retaliatory action in the near future.

US ABC News has quoted an Israeli government official as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved several Iranian targets. The news outlet said the Israeli official did not say when the reprisal attacks might take place, and whether the targets would be limited to Iranian military facilities.