US President Donald Trump has announced an end to airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The US announcement of the end of the attack on the Iran-backed group came after agreeing to stop attacking commercial ships.
CNN reported that Donald Trump announced the end of the attack on Yemen after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday (May 6) local time.
US forces began attacking Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 15 in the context of attacking various ships of Israeli interest in the Red Sea. The US president had previously said that the operation would continue until the Houthis announced an end to attacks on commercial ships.
Trump said that the Houthis had agreed to stop attacking the ships, saying, “We will respect their agreement and stop bombing them.”
The US president added, “They have surrendered, and more importantly, we will take them at their word… They have said they will not attack the ships again.”
A defense official told CNN that the US military was ordered to stop attacking the Houthis on Monday night.
Meanwhile, the Middle Eastern country of Oman said that it had brokered a ceasefire agreement between the US and the Houthis. After Trump’s announcement to stop attacking Yemen, Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that in recent days, we have spoken with the relevant authorities in Houthi-controlled Yemen and the United States. Through our discussions, the two sides have reached a ceasefire.
The statement also said that in the coming days, US ships, including other commercial vessels, will not be targeted in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, thereby ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial vessels.
However, there has been no comment from the Houthis on the ceasefire agreement with the United States.