Following Massive Israeli Strikes, US Announces Ceasefire with Houthis
The timing of the massive Israeli strikes, quickly followed by the ceasefire, strongly suggests that they were responsible for the Houthis’ concession.
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) — U.S. President Donald Trump casually announced on Tuesday afternoon, in a White House meeting with Canadian President Mark Carney, that the U.S. and Houthis had reached a ceasefire agreement.
That announcement surprised key elements within his own administration, as al-Jazeera reported, noting that the Defense Department had been “caught off-guard.”
Al-Jazeera also noted that there had been no official confirmation of the suspension of hostilities with the Houthis from the Pentagon.
Trump’s announcement also surprised the Israelis, who did not receive advance notice, even though it appeared to be Israel’s massive retaliation for a Houthi strike on its main airport that precipitated the Houthis’ stand-down.
After Trump’s statement, Oman confirmed the agreement. However, the Houthis presented it as a-concession from Washington, saying they would evaluate “the halt in U.S. aggression,” while they would continue to attack Israel.
Whether the ceasefire can hold for long under such conditions remains to be seen.
Military Exchanges with Houthis
On Saturday and Sunday, the Houthis fired four ballistic missiles at Israel. Three were shot down by Israeli air defenses, but on Sunday, one missile made it through, falling on the grounds of Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion airport, outside of Israel’s biggest city, Tel Aviv.
Several people were injured, although none seriously. Operations at the airport were suspended for an hour, while most international airlines cancelled their flights.
Israel vowed a massive response to the Houthi attack. The following day, on Monday, 20 Israeli fighter jets struck the port of Hodeidah, causing serious damage to Yemen’s main sea port.
An Israeli military statement justified the attack, saying that Iran shipped the weapons which the Houthis fired at Israel through the Hodeidah port.
Shortly before the Israeli attack, the U.S. struck targets in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, part of an ongoing military campaign against the Houthis that the Trump administration had begun in mid-March.
The following day, on Tuesday, Israeli planes struck the Yemeni airport in Sana’a, inflicting massive damage.
That attack caused the closure of the Yemeni airport, as its Director General, Khalid al Shalef, reported “extensive damage.”
Soon thereafter, while sitting next to the Canadian Prime Minister in the Oval Office, Trump announced that the Houthis had capitulated, and there would be a ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis.
Exploiting the Israeli Strikes to Claim a Negotiating Success
The timing of the massive Israeli strikes, quickly followed by the announcement of the Houthis’ acceptance of the ceasefire terms, strongly suggests that those strikes were responsible for the Houthis’ concession.
After all, the U.S. had been attacking the Houthis since mid-March. But it had never carried out an assault on the scale of Israel’s attacks following the Houthis’ missile strike on Ben Gurion airport.
Yet all those involved in the negotiations between the U.S. and the Houthis chose to ignore that point. It includes Steve Witkoff, Trump’s long-time associate from New York real estate, who was sworn in on Tuesday as his special Middle East envoy.
Witkoff had been handling the negotiations with the Houthis, with the Omanis acting as mediators. They, too, chose to ignore the role of the massive Israeli strikes in bringing about the ceasefire, as did Trump himself.
To some extent, this even includes the Houthis, who are definitely not prepared to acknowledge that the Israelis have caused them serious harm. Rather, the Houthis have done the opposite, vowing to continue their attacks on Israel and go “beyond what the Israeli enemy can withstand.”
