Trump announces deal with Houthis as ceasefire exclude Israel

MUSCAT

Yemenis lift placards during a rally in solidarity with Palestinians and the Gaza Strip and in condemnation of Israel and the US, in the Huthi-run capital Sanaa on May 2, 2025.

President Donald Trump has abruptly announced that the United States would end its attacks against Yemen's Houthis, saying the rebels agreed to stop harassing ships in the Red Sea.

In surprise comments at the White House, Trump said the Iran-backed rebels had "capitulated" after the near-daily, seven-week U.S. bombing campaign that left 300 dead, according to an AFP tally of Houthi figures.

After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal to halt attacks on U.S. vessels.

On the other hand, the ceasefire deal between Houthis and the U.S. does not include sparing Israel, the group said on May 7, suggesting its shipping attacks that have disrupted global trade and challenged world powers will not come to a complete halt.

"The agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form," Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator, told Reuters.

The U.S. intensified strikes on the Houthis this year, to stop attacks on Red Sea shipping.

"They said 'please don't bomb us anymore and we're not going to attack your ships,'" Trump said of the Houthis during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately."

The ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the U.S. “serves the Palestinian cause and embarrasses Israel,” an unnamed spokesperson for the Iran-backed rebel group tells Al Jazeera, as officials confirm that the deal will not halt attacks on Israel.

“We will continue targeting Israeli ships until aid is delivered to Gaza,” the spokesman said.

“We will assess any future American support for Israel and determine our position accordingly.”

“Our response to the Israeli entity is inevitably coming,” he added.

The announcement came as Israel's attack on the airport in Yemen's Hothi-controlled capital Sanaa destroyed terminal buildings and caused $500 million in damage, according to its director.

The airport was suspending all flights until further notice after sustaining "severe damage" in the Israeli strikes on May 6.

The strikes came after a Houthi missile gouged a crater near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on May 4.

"Around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression on Sanaa airport," its general director Khaled alShaief told the rebels' Al-Masirah television.

"The enemy destroyed the terminals at Sanaa airport, including all equipment and devices," he said, adding that a warehouse was also "completely levelled.”