‘They Say They Won’t Be Blowing Up Ships Anymore’: Trump Halts Bombing of Houthis Hours After Latest Israeli Strike on Yemen

Latest Developments

• Trump Says U.S. Will Stop Bombing Houthis: President Donald Trump announced on May 6 that the United States was “going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately,” after the group, Iran’s proxy in Yemen, agreed to an Omani-brokered deal to stop attacking shipping in the Red Sea. “We will take their word. They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that was the purpose of what we’ve been doing,” Trump told reporters. The deal did not address whether the Houthis would stop attacking Israel, with the group threatening after the Israeli strikes that the “aggression will not pass without a response.”
• Israel Bombs Sanaa Airport: Trump’s announcement of the deal — hours after Israel conducted airstrikes and “completely disabled” the Sanaa International Airport — did not address whether the Houthis would stop attacking Israel, with the group threatening after the Israeli strikes that the “aggression will not pass without a response.” According to airport officials, the strikes destroyed three civilian airplanes, the departures terminal, the runway, and a Houthi military base. “The airport served as a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons and operatives,” the IDF stated.
• IDF Issued Evacuation Notice: To mitigate the loss of life, the IDF’s Arabic spokesman issued an urgent evacuation warning for the airport prior to the strikes, which came one day after Israeli jets targeted Houthi facilities in the port city of Hodeidah. Several power stations near Sanaa used by the Iran-backed terrorist group were also struck, along with a cement factory in the city of Amran involved in constructing the group’s infrastructure and tunnels. The latest strikes were a response to a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis on May 4 that landed near Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv, injuring eight people and causing multiple flight cancellations.

FDD Expert Response

“We should not expect the Houthis to give up attacks on Israel and its interests easily. The condition for a suspension of the U.S. bombing campaign against the Houthis should be an end not just to strikes on American vessels or even all vessels but also to the terrorist group’s attacks on Israel. Such an agreement would be a major victory for President Trump, demonstrating U.S. power and influence. An agreement that does not also demand and enforce an end to attacks on our allies and their vessels by the Houthis would be a serious mistake by the administration.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power

“This cessation of hostilities is coming before the United States takes the necessary action to hold the actual culprit — Iran — accountable. The United States should attack Iranian drone production facilities and port facilities that supply the Houthis as well as the Iranian spy ships that support Houthi targeting. This action would benefit the United States vis-à-vis the Houthis, Israel vis-à-vis Iran, and Ukraine vis-à-vis Russia.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“It is unlikely that the Houthis anticipated a second Israeli strike, making Israel’s renewed response a tactical surprise that granted it an operational advantage. However, this development must be understood within the broader context of the ongoing regional conflict: the Iranian-backed Houthis — much like Hezbollah in Lebanon — made a deliberate decision to support Hamas by entering an open conflict with Israel. It also appears that neither the Houthis nor their Iranian patrons fully anticipated the sustained and intense nature of the repeated attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Yemen-based group throughout this conflict.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“By striking Hodeidah port and Sanaa International Airport, the IDF is targeting locations where weapons and resources are entering Yemen for the Houthis. Without isolating the Houthis from their sponsors, mainly the Islamic regime in Tehran, the Houthis will continue to weather attacks and return to threaten Israel and any Western or American target within their reach.” — Bridget Toomey, Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“IDF Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen in Response to Ballistic Missile Attacks on Israel,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran-Backed Houthis Launch 3 Missiles, 2 Drones at Israel Over 2 Days,” FDD Flash Brief

“It’s Summer Break in Yemen, and the Children Are off to Houthi Boot Camp,” by Bridget Toomey

“Houthis Conduct Retaliatory Strikes, Issue Threats, Sanctions and Boycotts Against U.S. and Israel,” by Bridget Toomey