US president announces halt to strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen

President Donald Trump announced that the United States will cease its military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, following nearly two months of intensive bombing campaigns.

The decision marks a significant shift in US military strategy in the region, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump stated that the cessation of hostilities would take effect immediately. The move comes after the Houthis made contact with the US administration on May 5 evening, signaling their intent to de-escalate and end the ongoing conflict.

Since March, US military forces have targeted at least 800 sites in Yemen, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Houthi fighters, according to US Central Command. The strikes were part of a broader campaign aimed at dismantling the Houthi insurgency, which has been locked in a prolonged conflict with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The Houthis have targeted ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip where more than 52,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, during the course of Israel’s indiscriminate war.

The group halted attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and Hamas, but resumed them after Israel's renewed airstrikes on Gaza in March.

By Vafa Guliyeva