President Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. will stop airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen because the terrorists said they don’t want to fight anymore.
Mr. Trump said the Houthis had reached out to surrender. When asked how the terrorists contacted the White House, he declined to say.
“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 that they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” Mr. Trump said during a White House meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“I will accept their word and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis, effective immediately,” the president said without elaborating.
The Houthis are an armed political and religious group in Yemen that has declared itself part of an Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the U.S. and their Western allies.
The Houthis began firing drones and missiles toward Israel in 2023 in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7th terror attack, which killed roughly 1,200 Israelis. About a month later, the Houthis hijacked commercial ships in the Red Sea.
While the Houthis insisted they were attack ships connected with Israel, many of the vessels had no connection with Israel.
Since then, they have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on commercial ships, sinking two vessels, seizing a third and killing four crew members. The U.S. Navy thwarted several planned attacks.
In response to airstrikes from the U.S. and U.K., the Houthis began targeting ships tied to owners or operators in both countries. The attacks forced major shipping companies to stop using the Red Sea, which accounts for 15% of the global sea trade. Instead, ships began taking a much longer route around southern Africa.
President Joe Biden began bombing Houthi targets in Yemen in January 2024, and the strikes continued under Mr. Trump, who blasted his predecessor for not doing enough to stop the terrorists.
“Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft and targeted our troops and allies,” Mr. Trump said in March, adding that their “piracy, violence and terrorism” had cost “billions” and put lives at risk.
At the time, Mr. Trump said it had been more than a year since a U.S. ship had sailed safely through the Suez Canal, which connects to the Red Sea, and four months since a U.S. warship had been through the body of water between east Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
While the battles continued, Mr. Trump warned Iran to cease its support for the Houthis, warning that he would hold Tehran “fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it.”
