The Houthisʼ agreement with the US on a mutual cessation of strikes does not apply to Israel.
This was told by the Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam to Reuters.
"The agreement does not concern Israel in any way. Since they [the US] announced a halt [to the strikes], they are indeed obliged to do so. Our position was self-defense, so we will stop," he said.
The head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of the Houthi movement in Yemen, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said that the US decision to stop military strikes on Yemen would first be verified on the ground. According to him, the Houthi operations are aimed at supporting Gaza, and a possible ceasefire with the United States does not mean a cessation of attacks on Israel. This is reported by France24.
Meanwhile, Al Masirah TV reported that the leader of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, confirmed that the Iran-aligned movement would continue its rocket attacks amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He called on Israeli citizens to stay in shelters or leave the country, saying the Israeli government could no longer guarantee their safety.
Al Mashat stressed that Yemen will not abandon its position of supporting the Palestinians until the aggression stops and the blockade of the Gaza Strip is lifted.
The day before, on May 6, President Donald Trump said the United States would stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the group agreed to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
After that, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidy informed that the US and Yemeni Houthis had agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Oman.
"In the future, neither side will harass the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the unimpeded movement of international commercial vessels," he said.
At the same time, the Houthi group stated that there was no direct contact with the US, Al Mayadeen reports.
What preceded
Houthi attacks on ships have been ongoing since late 2023, causing most Western container ships to bypass the Red Sea and take a much longer route around South Africa on voyages between Asia and Europe throughout 2024. This has increased shipping times, prices, and tariffs.
On the evening of January 15, 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. The Houthis then announced that they would voluntarily abide by the agreement and suspend attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
However, on February 19 of this year, the Houthis fired a surface-to-air missile at a US Air Force F-16 jet flying over the Red Sea, but missed, Fox News reported. On the same day, the channel reported, the Houthis attacked a US military MQ-9 Reaper drone flying over Yemen outside Houthi-controlled areas.
In mid-March, Trump ordered the US military to "commence decisive and forceful military action" against the Houthis in Yemen.
- The other day, Yemeni Houthis attacked Israel with ballistic missiles, one of which fell near Ben Gurion Airport. Six people were injured.
- And on May 5, the Israel Defense Forces attacked Houthi infrastructure in Yemen — the seaport of Hodeida and the Bajil concrete plant. This was called a response to the attacks by the Yemeni Houthi on Israel. The next day, the airport in Sanaʼa, the capital of Yemen, was under attack.
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