US and Yemen's Houthis agree on ceasefire, says mediator Oman

Trump said American bombing of Iran-backed group will stop after they 'capitulated'

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Yemen's Houthis had “capitulated” and that the US would stop attacking the Iran-backed rebels after they agreed to cease attacking ships in the Red Sea.

The surprise announcement comes after the Houthis began attacking Israeli and US-linked ships after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. The shipping lane is a vital trade route between Asia, the Middle East and Europe, accounting for about 15 per cent of global shipping.

Mr Trump in March ordered new air strikes against the Houthis and said the “barbarians” would be “completely annihilated”.

“The Houthis announced that they don't want to fight any more, and we will honour that and we will stop the bombings,” Mr Trump said at the White House as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“They have capitulated … they said they won't be blowing up ships any more. We just found out about that.”

Since 2023, more than 100 merchant ships have been hit with drones and missiles, in what the Houthis have described as acts of solidarity with Gazans in the enclave.

Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi, the Omani Foreign Minister, confirmed later that efforts to de-escalate the situation had resulted in a ceasefire between the two sides.

“In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,” Sayyid Badr said in a post on X.

The Omani statement did not mention whether the Houthis had agreed to stop striking Israel. The head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi Al Mashat, said the group would continue to support Gaza and that such attacks would continue.

"To all Zionists from now on, stay in shelters or leave to your countries immediately as your failed government will not be able to protect you after today," Houthi-run Al Masirah TV quoted Mr Al Mashat as saying.

Houthi leadership also said in a post on X that the group had indirectly informed the US that continued escalation would affect Mr Trump's upcoming visit to the region.

Meanwhile, the head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali Al Houthi, said the US halt of "aggression" against Yemen would be evaluated, according to a post on X.

Some experts welcomed Mr Trump's announcement. The development comes as Washington heaps pressure on Iran in a "maximum pressure" campaign aimed at forcing it to dismantle its nuclear programme. A new round of nuclear talks is expected to take place this weekend.

"Washington's open-ended and congressionally unauthorised strikes against the Houthis for targeting shipping in the Red Sea was the epitome of strategic malpractice, neglecting the origins of the conflict [the war in Gaza] and failing to deter the group while squandering billions in taxpayer dollars," said Jon Hoffman, a research fellow in defence and foreign policy at the Cato Institute.

The Pentagon did not provide more information about the end of military operations. It has previously said the US military has struck more than 1,000 targets since its current operation in Yemen, known as Operation Rough Rider, began on March 15. The strikes have killed "hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders", officials said.

The accord between the US and the Houthis does not necessarily mean the rebels will be under less military pressure, given that Israel is not a party to the agreement.

The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. At least eight people were injured.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had attacked Houthi targets in Yemen, including the airport in Sanaa and several power stations in the area, in response.

“Our choice of when to respond, how to respond, and on what targets to respond – this is a consideration we make every time,” Mr Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

The Houthis said three people were killed and 38 wounded in Israeli strikes on Yemen, including the Sanaa airport.

A man on a motorcyle decorated with mock missiles travels along a street in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 5. EPA