In a surprise announcement from the Oval Office, President Donald Trump declared on Monday that the United States would immediately suspend its air campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, citing new assurances that the group would no longer target American naval vessels in the Red Sea.
Trump, flanked by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a joint press availability, said the Houthis had signaled through unofficial channels their intent to cease hostilities against the U.S. military.
“The Houthis have announced, to us at least, that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight, and we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings,” President Trump said. “They have capitulated.”
Pressed by reporters on whether a formal agreement had been brokered, Trump acknowledged that no written deal had been signed, but insisted he had received credible assurances via “a very good source.”
The announcement comes after months of escalating military exchanges between the U.S. and the Houthis, who began targeting American and allied vessels in the Red Sea in late 2023, claiming the attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. The Houthis have portrayed themselves as defenders of the Palestinian cause, framing their Red Sea strikes as part of a broader regional resistance.
The U.S. military response under President Trump included precision strikes on Houthi missile launch sites, radar installations, and suspected leadership compounds. The White House has said the strikes resulted in the deaths of dozens of militants, including several senior Houthi figures. The campaign, now reportedly winding down, has cost the U.S. nearly $1 billion, according to a recent CNN report, with the Pentagon deploying high-cost weaponry such as Tomahawk and long-range cruise missiles.
While Trump did not provide specifics about the assurances he received, the decision to suspend operations marks a significant shift in U.S. posture toward the group, which was redesignated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist Group by the Trump administration earlier this year. That designation reversed the Biden administration’s 2021 move to delist the Houthis, which was made on humanitarian grounds.
The Houthis maintain deep ties to Iran, receiving military, financial, and intelligence support from Tehran. Analysts have warned that any U.S. de-escalation could be interpreted as a strategic win for Iran’s regional influence if not coupled with verifiable guarantees from the group.
The timing of Trump’s announcement also comes amid fresh Israeli-Houthi hostilities. Earlier today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it had “completely disabled” Sanaa International Airport in a retaliatory airstrike. The IDF said the strike was in response to a Houthi-launched missile that landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday, narrowly avoiding casualties.
The White House has not yet released a formal statement detailing the parameters or conditions of the U.S. halt in hostilities. National security officials are reportedly assessing whether the Houthi overture represents a genuine cessation of hostilities or a tactical pause.
Critics of the move warn that absent concrete commitments or international oversight, the Houthis may use the respite to regroup militarily. Supporters argue, however, that any opportunity to avoid further American entanglement in Yemen — especially without risking more U.S. lives or resources — is worth pursuing.
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