US President Donald Trump surprised reporters at the White House on Tuesday by announcing that Yemen’s Houthi rebels have agreed to stop attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea.

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“The Houthis have announced... that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated,” Trump said.

He added that the rebels had promised to stop targeting ships, “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that’s... the purpose of what we were doing.” Trump said this update came from a “very, very good source.”

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Attacks by the Iran-backed group had disrupted maritime traffic through the Suez Canal, a key trade route responsible for around 12 per cent of global shipping.

US and Israel have both targeted Houthi strongholds

American airstrikes against the Houthis began under President Joe Biden in early 2024 and continued under Trump, with renewed military action starting on 15 March this year.

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In a separate but related development, the Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday that its fighter jets carried out strikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, targeting the airport and nearby power stations.

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According to a military statement, “fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa,” including “flight runways, aircraft and infrastructure.” Israel added that the airport had been used by the group to transfer weapons and personnel.

Power plants in the Sanaa area were also hit, following earlier Israeli strikes on Yemen’s port of Hodeida.

Houthis vow retaliation after Israeli air raids

The Houthi political bureau said Israel’s actions “will not pass without a response” and vowed to continue supporting Gaza.

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“The Israeli aggression will not pass without a response, and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza,” the group said in a statement.

These latest developments come just two days after the Houthis fired a missile at Israel’s main airport, prompting swift retaliation.

Also read: 'There will be bangs': Netanyahu makes good on threat as Israel strikes Yemen's Sanaa airport after Houthi strike on Tel Aviv