Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that U.S. forces will halt airstrikes on rebel positions in Yemen after the Houthi insurgency agreed to also cease attacks on ships sailing through the region and thus respect freedom of navigation.
The President of the United States, who did not provide details of this alleged pact, commented that it was the Houthis who took the first step and that they are the ones who have “surrendered”. “They told us: please, do not bomb us anymore and we will not attack your ships,” said Trump in the Oval Office during a meeting with the Minister of Canada, Mark Carney.
What are the details of the agreement between the United States and the Houthis?
On the other hand, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has added that “it has always been a matter of freedom of navigation.” He also added that “there is a group of individuals with sophisticated weaponry threatening (from Yemen) global navigation and our job is to make them stop.”
This apparent concession from Washington comes precisely amidst a series of attacks between the Houthi rebels and Israel, intensified after a missile struck near Ben Gurion Airport on the outskirts of Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked the port of Hodeida on Monday and on Tuesday they fired at several more targets, including Sana’a airport, the Yemeni capital.
Hutis say attacks against Israel will continue
The president of the Supreme Political Council established by the Houthis, Mahdi al Mashat, stated on Tuesday that attacks against Israel will continue despite having agreed to a ceasefire with the United States.
Al Mashat insisted that the Yemeni rebels’ offensive will continue as long as the “aggression” against the Gaza Strip continues.
In turn, Mohamed Ali al Houthi, the president of the Revolutionary Committee of Yemeni rebels, said that “the situation on the ground will be evaluated” following Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire.