Trump declares the US will cease bombing Houthis
Since March, the military has targeted at least 800 locations in Yemen and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Houthis, according to U.S. Central Command.
TroibNews 
The United States will cease airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi group, as announced by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, following a nearly two-month bombing campaign.
Before a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump stated that the halt would take effect immediately. He noted that the Houthis had approached the administration late Monday, expressing their desire to "stop the fighting.”
According to U.S. Central Command, the military has targeted at least 800 sites in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Houthis since March.
Trump depicted the decision as a handshake agreement—an end to the Pentagon's bombing in exchange for the Houthis agreeing to refrain from attacking U.S. ships. "It’s not a deal,” he clarified. “They said, ‘Please don’t bomb us anymore and we're not going to attack your ships.’”
Concerns over Houthi attacks on the Red Sea have forced commercial vessels to alter their routes, causing delays and significantly extending maritime trade distances around the southern tip of Africa. A senior Houthi leader mentioned to DropSiteNews in April that the group would halt attacks if the Trump administration stopped its bombing campaign.
However, this arrangement may not ease regional tensions if it only focuses on safeguarding American vessels. Israeli forces intensified their campaign against the Houthis Monday night, launching airstrikes in the rebel-controlled port city of Hodeidah using 20 fighter jets, in response to a ballistic missile attack on the Jerusalem airport by the group. The Trump administration had also classified the Houthis as a terror organization in March, reversing a policy from the Biden administration.
The Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command did not immediately offer comments on the announcement.
The Houthis executed over 500 strikes against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and against Israel following Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023, as reported by the International Crisis Group, an independent conflict monitor. Nonetheless, Houthi attacks on maritime targets have significantly decreased in recent months, with the group last targeting a commercial vessel in late December.
Following Trump’s announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked that the Houthi strikes represented a freedom of navigation issue. “These are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping,” he stated. “And the job was to get that to stop.”
The Pentagon's military campaign, referred to as "Operation Rough Rider," has contributed to a 69 percent reduction in ballistic missile launches this year and a 55 percent decrease in one-way attack drone launches.
Despite these achievements, the costs have escalated, highlighting a substantial show of U.S. military power. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prolonged the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in the region and dispatched a second carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, indicative of a major resource allocation. Additionally, the Pentagon stationed six B-2 bombers at the U.S. airbase on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, representing a third of the entire U.S. fleet.
The cessation of strikes occurs just ahead of Trump’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next week. He indicated that a "very, very big" and "positive" announcement would precede this visit, although he did not elaborate on its specifics.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
Before a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump stated that the halt would take effect immediately. He noted that the Houthis had approached the administration late Monday, expressing their desire to "stop the fighting.”
According to U.S. Central Command, the military has targeted at least 800 sites in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Houthis since March.
Trump depicted the decision as a handshake agreement—an end to the Pentagon's bombing in exchange for the Houthis agreeing to refrain from attacking U.S. ships. "It’s not a deal,” he clarified. “They said, ‘Please don’t bomb us anymore and we're not going to attack your ships.’”
Concerns over Houthi attacks on the Red Sea have forced commercial vessels to alter their routes, causing delays and significantly extending maritime trade distances around the southern tip of Africa. A senior Houthi leader mentioned to DropSiteNews in April that the group would halt attacks if the Trump administration stopped its bombing campaign.
However, this arrangement may not ease regional tensions if it only focuses on safeguarding American vessels. Israeli forces intensified their campaign against the Houthis Monday night, launching airstrikes in the rebel-controlled port city of Hodeidah using 20 fighter jets, in response to a ballistic missile attack on the Jerusalem airport by the group. The Trump administration had also classified the Houthis as a terror organization in March, reversing a policy from the Biden administration.
The Department of Defense and U.S. Central Command did not immediately offer comments on the announcement.
The Houthis executed over 500 strikes against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and against Israel following Hamas' attacks on October 7, 2023, as reported by the International Crisis Group, an independent conflict monitor. Nonetheless, Houthi attacks on maritime targets have significantly decreased in recent months, with the group last targeting a commercial vessel in late December.
Following Trump’s announcement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio remarked that the Houthi strikes represented a freedom of navigation issue. “These are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping,” he stated. “And the job was to get that to stop.”
The Pentagon's military campaign, referred to as "Operation Rough Rider," has contributed to a 69 percent reduction in ballistic missile launches this year and a 55 percent decrease in one-way attack drone launches.
Despite these achievements, the costs have escalated, highlighting a substantial show of U.S. military power. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prolonged the deployment of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group in the region and dispatched a second carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, indicative of a major resource allocation. Additionally, the Pentagon stationed six B-2 bombers at the U.S. airbase on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, representing a third of the entire U.S. fleet.
The cessation of strikes occurs just ahead of Trump’s upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next week. He indicated that a "very, very big" and "positive" announcement would precede this visit, although he did not elaborate on its specifics.
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
