'They don't want to fight': Trump announces end to bombing of Houthis
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has announced that the United States is halting strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, claiming that they have expressed a willingness to cease hostilities, The New York Times reports.
"We had some very good news last night. The Houthis have announced that they don't want to fight anymore. And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombing," President Trump said during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office.
The US President refused to disclose how he learned about the Houthis' alleged intention to stop attacks in the Red Sea.
He stated that the Houthis had asked not to be bombed anymore, adding that it didn’t matter where exactly the information came from.
Trump also emphasized that the US is "immediately halting the bombing of the Houthis."
The president added that the US would take the Houthis at their word, as they claimed they would no longer blow up ships, which, he noted, had been the main reason for US actions. He described this as very positive, pointing out that the Houthis had destroyed many ships that were peacefully sailing the seas.
Statements from the Houthis
The media outlet notes that the Houthis have not yet commented on Trump’s claims that they agreed to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
However, in a statement made just a few hours earlier, the Houthi-led government declared that it was waging a "holy war in aid of the wronged Palestinian people in Gaza" and was confronting the "Israeli-American-British enemy."
"Our military capabilities are advancing with each aggression, and our operations will continue," the Houthis said in that statement.
US operation against the Houthis
As previously reported, in March, US President Donald Trump ordered intensified strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Official Washington also stated that American strikes would continue until the Iran-backed militants ceased their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
On March 16, the Houthis launched an attack on the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea.
At the time, President Trump said that Iran bore responsibility for the Houthis’ attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. He added that the country would face "horrific consequences."
On April 17, reports emerged that US forces had carried out large-scale strikes on Houthi facilities in Yemen.
Additionally, on April 18, the US Armed Forces reported that American forces had targeted the Ras Issa fuel port in Yemen, which is controlled by the Houthis. The goal of the operation was to cut off a fuel source used by the Iran-supported militants.
On April 29, US media reported that a US Navy F-18 fighter jet sank in the Red Sea after the Houthis attacked the USS Harry S. Truman. One sailor sustained minor injuries as a result of the incident.
