“They just don’t want to fight”: Trump ends air strikes in Yemen

The U.S. and the Houthis have struck a deal, effectively halting Trump’s seven-week bombing campaign in Yemen. According to the BBC on May 7th, the ceasefire followed the Iranian-backed group’s “capitulation” after it agreed to stop attacking American vessels in the Red Sea.

Trump broke the news during an unrelated Oval Office meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister: “They just don’t want to fight,” he said. “And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings… they will not be blowing up ships anymore.”

This brings an end to the air strike campaign that began in March when Trump vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” in response to Houthi threats to resume attacks on Israeli ships en route to Yemen.

But despite Trump’s characteristic bravado, it remains questionable whether the US has achieved its objective of quelling Houthi threats to international shipping. The Houthis themselves have refrained from declaring a full-on ceasefire, reaffirming that they will continue their fight against Israel and its genocide in Gaza.

Houthi media has also portrayed the deal as an American failure, popularizing the hashtag “Yemen defeats America.”

Since the onset of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis targeted commercial and military ships in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with Gaza. The attacks have forced many shipping companies to take much longer routes around Southern Africa.

In retaliation, under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. launched its air strike campaign, which intensified under Trump. In April, the Houthis claimed that at least 68 African migrants were killed in a U.S. air strike in north-western Yemen.

Oman’s foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, has since interjected, claiming his country had a significant role in mediating the agreement. On X, he wrote, “In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.”

However, the durability of the deal warrants skepticism as it currently remains a verbal agreement. Moreover, it is yet unclear whether the Houthis will also stop attacking other vessels sailing through the Red Sea, as they have previously targeted ships with no clear link to either the U.S. or Israel.

BBC/ Maghrebi