President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (May 6) that the US would stop bombing the Iranian group Houthi in Yemen. Trump said that the decision occurred after Houthis agreed to stop his attacks on critical shipping lanes in the Middle East.
“They said they were no longer bombarding us and we wouldn’t attack your ships,” Trump said during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And I will come their word and we will immediately stop the bombing of the Houthis.”
Oman provides an agreement on the ceasefire
Oman played a key role in the arrangement of an agreement on the ceasefire between the US and Houthis. According to Oman, the agreement stipulated that neither the US nor Houthis focused on itself, including the US vessels operating in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
However, this statement did not clarify whether Houthis agreed to stop his attacks on Israel.
Houthis expresses a desire to end the fighting
Trump stressed that Houthis expressed his desire to end hostility. “They don’t want to fight anymore … We’ll honor it and stop the bomb attacks … They surrendered,” Trump said.
He said the surrender of the group meant a turning point in conflict. Since March, the US Army has made more than 1,000 strikes against Houthi’s goals and claimed that it had killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and many leaders.
No ceasefire in attacks against Israel
While the US stops its air strikes on Houthis, wider group actions remain questionable. Head of the Yemeni High Revolutionary Committee Houthi, Mohammed Ali Al-Houth, indicated that while the American ceasefire is welcome, the group would continue its support in Gaza. “We will continue to support Gaza to end the war,” he said, emphasizing that a ceasefire with the US did not stop at stopping attacks on Israel.
US military strikes and tension in the region
The intensified operations of the US Army against Houthis this year, known as the Rough Rider operation, focused on limiting group attacks on the Red Sea transport. In the wider context, Houthis focused on Israeli ships and were involved in missile strikes in Israel since the Gaza War broke out in October 2023.
The escalation of tensions led to Israeli air strikes on the Yemen’s port of Hodeidah and at Sanaa airport, while the situation remained volatile.
(Tagstotranslate) Donald Trump
