Houthis Agree to Ceasefire with US But Exclude Israel

Oman claimed credit for mediating a ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthis and the United States, Reuters reported. But the deal doesn’t apply to attacks on Israel. 

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi announced Tuesday that the US and the Houthis agreed not to target each other, and the deal would stop attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. 

However, Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam clarified to Reuters that the ceasefire does not apply to attacks on Israel, saying it excludes such actions “in any way, shape or form.” 

The announcement came just hours after Israeli warplanes struck the airport in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, causing about $500 million in damage, Al Jazeera noted. The airstrike followed Houthi attacks on Israel’s international airport earlier in the week. 

US President Donald Trump initially unveiled the deal Tuesday, declaring that the United States would halt daily bombings in Yemen, saying the Houthis had “capitulated.”  

Trump said the group agreed to stop disrupting key Middle Eastern shipping lanes, a campaign launched after the Gaza war began in solidarity with Palestinians.  

Although the Iran-backed group briefly halted attacks during a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this year, they resumed them after Israel reinstated a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave. 

The Houthis threatened to restart their attacks on shipping – which had been paused since January – prompting the US to launch near-daily airstrikes. In March, Trump launched the biggest military operation under his administration against the Yemeni group, killing hundreds. 

While the US has pledged to honor the new ceasefire, Abdulsalam warned that any violation would prompt retaliation.