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Doha – Oman has successfully mediated a ceasefire agreement between the United States and Yemen’s Houthis, as the Iran-aligned group continues its stance against the ongoing genocide in Gaza perpetrated by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) since October 2023.
The deal, announced Tuesday by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, stipulates that “neither side will target the other, including American vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait,” ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.
US President Donald Trump confirmed the development, declaring that Washington would stop bombing the Houthis after they agreed to cease disrupting shipping lanes.
“They said, please don’t bomb us anymore, and we’re not going to attack your ships,” Trump stated. “And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately.”
The American military campaign, intensified under Trump’s administration in March, had struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen, killing hundreds of Houthis and numerous leaders according to US military reports.
The operation, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” represented Washington’s largest military action under Trump’s presidency.
The Yemeni group had been targeting shipping lanes since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, stating their actions were in support of Palestinians.
Read also: Houthi Attacks: Morocco Reiterates Solidarity With Yemen
However, the Omani-mediated agreement made no mention of the Houthi attacks on Israel, which have continued as recently as Sunday when a Houthi missile landed near Ben Gurion Airport.
The ceasefire announcement comes amid escalating regional tensions. Just hours before the deal was made public, Israeli warplanes conducted strikes on Sanaa’s international airport, reportedly “completely destroying” it and targeting power stations and a cement factory.
According to the Houthis’ Saba news agency, these strikes killed three people and wounded 35 others.
The Israeli occupation forces have targeted Yemen five times since July 2024, with Houthi authorities reporting 29 people killed in total.
In response to the latest attacks, the Houthi political bureau stated that the “aggression will not pass without a response and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza.”
The ceasefire deal was negotiated by Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special Middle East envoy, who is also the lead US negotiator in ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, expected to continue in Muscat this weekend.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expressed concern over the exchange of strikes between Yemen and Israel, calling it “a grave escalation in an already fragile and volatile regional context.”
