President Donald Trump abruptly announced that the United States would end its attacks against Yemen’s Huthis on Tuesday, saying the rebels had agreed to stop harassing ships in the Red Sea.
In surprise comments at the White House, Trump said the Iran-backed rebels had “capitulated” after the near-daily, seven-week US bombing campaign that left 300 dead, according to an AFP tally of Huthi figures.
There was no official comment from the Huthis, who have been firing missiles and drones at ships on the vital trade artery during the Israel-Hamas war, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
“The Huthis have announced… that they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight,” Trump said during a White House press appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. “And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated,” he added.
“They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that’s… the purpose of what we were doing,” the US president said, adding that the information came from a “very, very good source.”