Trump says US to stop attacking Houthis in Yemen as group has ‘capitulated’

Donald Trump mentioned the US would cease attacking the Houthis in Yemen as a result of the group had “capitulated”, as Oman confirmed a “ceasefire” had been reached with the Iran-backed group for it to cease focusing on transport within the Crimson Sea.

“[The Houthis] just don’t want to fight, and we will honour that and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated,” he mentioned, talking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney within the White Home.

Shortly afterwards the Omani overseas minister posted that the deal meant neither aspect would goal the opposite, “ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping”.

The Houthis have but to remark.

The US stepped up air strikes on the Houthis in March and the US navy says it has struck 1,000 targets in Yemen since then.

Talking within the Oval Workplace, Trump mentioned the Houthis would “not be blowing up ships anymore”.

“The Houthis have announced that they are not, or they announced to us at least, that they don’t want to fight anymore… but, more importantly, we will take their word.

“They are saying they won’t be blowing up ships anymore and that is what the aim of what we had been doing… in order that’s simply information we simply came upon about that.”

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said his country had mediated efforts to achieve de-escalation.

“Sooner or later, neither aspect will goal the opposite, together with American vessels, within the Crimson Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, guaranteeing freedom of navigation and the graceful stream of worldwide industrial transport” he said.

The Houthis began attacking shipping passing through the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under bombardment by the Israeli military since the Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked Israeli communities in October 2023.

They have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships, sinking two vessels, seizing a third and killing four crew members. The attacks forced even major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea – through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes – and to take a much longer route around southern Africa instead.

US-led naval forces thwarted many Houthi attacks on shipping and former US president Joe Biden began US air strikes against the Houthis, which have intensified under Trump.

Final month, the Houthis mentioned no less than 68 African migrants were killed in a US air strike on a detention centre in north-western Yemen.

The Houthis have continued firing missiles towards Israel, with one missile landing near Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on Sunday.

On Tuesday Israel responded with a large-scale assault on Yemen’s main international airport within the capital Sanaa, which left it “fully destroyed” according to an airport official quoted by AFP.

Different Israeli strikes hit energy amenities and a cement manufacturing facility. On Monday Israel bombed port amenities in Hudaydah and one other cement manufacturing facility within the metropolis.