President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will cease its airstrike campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, bringing an abrupt pause to nearly two months of military operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The decision follows what Trump described as an informal request from the Houthis to end hostilities.
Speaking at the White House ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said the halt would take immediate effect.
“The Houthis have announced that they are not or they’ve been announced to us at least, that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight. And, we will honour that. And we will, we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated,” Trump claimed.
The Trump administration initiated a bombing campaign on March 15 following a series of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Since then, the US has carried out sustained airstrikes under “Operation Rough Rider.”
The campaign followed a similar pattern under former President Joe Biden, who also ordered hundreds of strikes against the Yemeni militant group in an effort to deter its assaults on shipping lanes through the vital maritime corridor.
Houthis signal willingness to pause attacks amid mounting pressure
Trump said the Houthi group reached out to his administration late Monday, expressing a desire to stop the fighting.
The overture comes amid mounting pressure on the Houthis after sustained US military operations since March.
According to US Central Command, the campaign struck over 800 targets and resulted in hundreds of Houthi casualties.
The Houthis, who hours earlier had declared they were fighting a “holy war,” have not formally confirmed Trump’s account.
However, hours before Trump’s announcement, and shortly after an Israeli airstrike hit Yemen’s main international airport on Tuesday, the Houthi-led government issued a statement declaring it was waging a “holy war” in support of the “wronged Palestinian people in Gaza,” and fighting what it described as an “Israeli-American-British” enemy.
Regional tensions continue to flare despite US’ withdrawal
While the US may be stepping back, regional tensions continue to flare, and the arrangement is “unlikely to calm tensions in the region if it’s limited to protecting American ships”, a report by Politico said.
On Monday night, Israel launched an airstrike involving 20 fighter jets on the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah.
The military action followed a Houthi-fired ballistic missile that struck near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on May 4.
Israeli warplanes also targeted Sana’a Airport and surrounding areas on Tuesday, hours after the Houthis reiterated their support for Gaza.
The Israeli government did not issue a formal statement, but security officials indicated the strikes were a direct retaliation for attacks on civilian air infrastructure.
Impact of the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea
The Houthis’ repeated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea have severely impacted global shipping.
Commercial ships have been forced to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks of transit time and millions in additional fuel costs.
The US military intervention was originally framed as an effort to protect freedom of navigation, a point reiterated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
“These are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping,” Rubio said. “And the job was to get that to stop.”
Upcoming Gulf visit adds diplomatic weight
Trump’s announcement also comes just days before his scheduled visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
He had earlier hinted at a major diplomatic announcement before the trip, though he declined to offer details.
As the administration attempts to balance de-escalation with regional alliances, questions remain about whether this informal understanding with the Houthis will hold.
The group’s previous statements and Israel’s continuing air campaign suggest that a broader regional conflict still looms over any pause in US action.
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