Trump halts US strikes on Yemen after Oman-mediated talks with Ansarallah, who said the ceasefire is a victory and a failure for Israel.
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has decided to halt strikes on Yemen after a two-month bombing campaign. In response, a top Ansarallah official said that the announcement represents a failure for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who should resign.
Ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said that the US will cease its bombing immediately in exchange for Yemen’s Ansarallah no longer attacking American ships.
“We will take their word…they say they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” Trump said.
For its part, CNN quoted a Pentagon official as saying that the US military had received instructions to halt strikes against Ansarallah.
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The network reported, citing informed sources, that the ceasefire came after talks led by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff with Ansarallah, mediated by Oman, last week.
For its part, the Omani Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Sultanate’s contacts with Washington and relevant authorities in Sanaa “resulted in a ceasefire agreement.”
The ministry explained that, “according to the agreement, no party will target the other, including American ships, thus ensuring freedom of navigation.”
The United States has been launching intensive airstrikes on Yemen since March 15. Trump has vowed to eliminate Ansarallah and warned Iran against continuing its support for them.
Ansarallah has been carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel and its associated vessels, in support of Gaza, since November 2023. They expanded their targeting to include American and British vessels after former US President Joe Biden formed a coalition to confront them and carry out strikes in Yemen.
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Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Political Council of Ansarallah, described Trump’s announcement as “a victory that ends American support for the temporary entity (Israel – PC).”
He added that this announcement is “a failure for Netanyahu, and he must resign.”
Al-Houthi explained that they will evaluate “Trump’s announcement to halt the aggression against Yemen on the ground first.”
Late last month, CNN quoted US officials as saying that Ansarallah had successfully shot down seven US military drones since the start of the strikes, hindering the transition to the second phase of operations.
Officials stated that Washington had hoped to achieve air superiority in Yemen within 30 days and weaken the group’s air defenses, but the bombing did not impact its capabilities or its command and control structure.
(PC, CNN, AJA)
