A senior official of the Ansar Allah movement, widely known as the Houthis, has referred to President Donald Trump’s declaration of a ceasefire in Yemen as a blow to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also battling the group.
“With Trump announcing a halt to the American aggression against Yemen, it will be evaluated on the ground first,” Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior member of the Ansar Allah-led Supreme Political Council, wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. “It is a victory that separates American support for the temporary entity and a failure for Netanyahu, who must resign.”
He affirmed that the group had not backed down on its commitment to military action in solidarity with Gaza, where the Palestinian militant group Hamas has been at war with Israel since October 2023, while noting that operations against U.S. assets in the region were separately linked to U.S. strikes on Yemen.
“The operations in Yemen were and remain support for Gaza to stop the aggression and allow the entry of aid,” al-Houthi said. “The leader announced this after the four-day deadline. The armed forces’ statements emphasized in their statements that their operations against American warships were a response to the American aggression aimed at halting Yemen’s support for Gaza.”
The comments came after Trump suddenly announced Tuesday that Ansar Allah had informed his administration that “they will not be blowing up ships anymore” after a campaign that has targeted hundreds of commercial and military vessels.
“I will accept their word,” Trump said. “And we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effectively immediately.”
The Foreign Ministry of Oman subsequently confirmed talks between the U.S. and Ansar Allah. It is also currently mediating nuclear talks between the U.S. and Ansar Allah’s ally, Iran.
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Why It Matters
Trump’s comments mark a stark departure from his fiery threats recently addressed to both the group and Iran, both of which are part of the broader Axis of Resistance coalition that has intervened on behalf of Hamas against Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza.
The maritime campaign, focused primarily on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, has led to a drastic reduction in traffic through the crucial Suez Canal, which links to the Mediterranean, as well as a spike in global shipping costs. Tehran has denied any connections to the attacks, which have severely reduced shipping through the Red Sea, Suez Canal and Gulf of Aden.
Ansar Allah has also frequently targeted Israel directly, most recently striking Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday in a first as the group announced an expansion of its “naval blockade” with an “aerial blockade” in line with the war in Gaza.
Trump did not reference Ansar Allah’s attacks against Israel in his remarks, however, specifically stating that the group’s targeting of vessels constituted “the purpose of what we were doing” in terms of U.S. military action.
The comments subsequently issued by al-Houthi, who is also a cousin of Ansar Allah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, did not directly acknowledge direct contacts between the group and U.S. officials, but did distinguish between attacks on U.S. warships and other actions directed toward Israel or assets suspected of having ties to Israel.
Newsweek reached out to the Israeli Consulate General in New York and representatives of Ansar Allah for comment.
What To Know
Ansar Allah has been a leading force within Yemen since seizing the capital Sanaa in early 2015 amid a civil war that saw a Saudi-led coalition intervene on behalf of the country’s internationally recognized government. The conflict was largely paused after an April 2022 ceasefire brokered by the United Nations, leaving Ansar Allah in control of around a third of the country and up to 80 percent of its population.
The group’s intervention alongside the Axis of Resistance in the war in Gaza, however, raised new tensions in Yemen, with reports surfacing last month of a potential effort to revive a government offensive.
Ansar Allah has since emerged as the most active member of the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance intervening in support of Hamas after a November 2024 ceasefire signed by Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to an Islamist-led coalition of rebels the following month and a virtual halt to operations being conducted by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq following a now-shattered truce signed by Israel and Hamas in January.
Ansar Allah renewed operations amid the collapse of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and Israel’s decision to block the flow of aid into Gaza in March, just as Trump intensified operations in Yemen. The group repeatedly indicated it would not cease attacks, though much of its operations have more recently targeted Israel.
The attack on Ben Gurion Airport drew a sharp reaction from Netanyahu, who echoed Trump in holding Iran directly responsible for the group’s actions. The Israel Defense Forces conducted two rounds of strikes against Yemen on Monday and Tuesday, targeting the port city of Al-Hodeidah and Sanaa International Airport.
The U.S. has also paid the price of the conflict, with a CNN report placing the cost of interceptions at nearly $1 billion early last month.
Ansar Allah has claimed the downing of at least 17 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each of which costs around $30 million, and took credit for the loss of a $60 million F/A-18 fighter jet after it fell overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier amid a confrontation last week.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Nournews outlet reported Tuesday that a fourth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks were set to be held this weekend in Oman after an initial delay, citing an unnamed official. Reuters cited an Iranian source confirming that a two-day round of talks would likely be held on Saturday and Sunday, or Sunday and Monday.
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What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Tuesday: “We had some very good news last night. The Houthis have announced that they are not—or they announced to us at least—that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight. And we will honor that. And we will stop the bombings. And they have capitulated, but more importantly, we will take their word. They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore. And that’s the purpose of what we were doing.
“And that’s news, we just found out about that. So, I think that’s very positive. They were knocking out a lot of ships that were sailing beautifully down the various seas. It wasn’t just the canal. It was a lot of other places. And I will accept their word. And we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effectively immediately.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following Trump’s remarks: “This was always a freedom of navigation issue. These guys, these are a band of individuals with advanced weaponry that were threatening global shipping, and the job was to get that to stop and if it’s going to stop, then we can stop it. So, I think it’s an important development.”
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, in a Tuesday statement: “Following recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana’a, in the Republic of Yemen, with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
“In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping. The Sultanate of Oman expresses its gratitude to both parties for their constructive approach that led to this welcome outcome and hopes that it will lead to further progress on many regional issues towards achieving justice, peace, and prosperity for all.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s comments and the reaction of Ansar Allah appear to mark the first time the two sides have reached an understanding since the regional conflict that has erupted from the war in Gaza. Both parties now say they will measure their actions based on the other’s commitment.
What remains uncertain is how the apparent deal will influence Ansar Allah’s willingness to continue strikes against Israel.
