In a significant breakthrough, the United States and Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels have reached a ceasefire agreement, aiming to end months of hostilities that disrupted vital maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The deal, announced on Tuesday by mediators from Oman, marks a crucial step towards restoring international trade flow and de-escalating the volatile military situation. According to Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, “neither side will target the other,” a provision expected to ensure safe navigation for global shipping vessels.
This diplomatic breakthrough follows an intense seven-week US-led bombing campaign against the Huthis, which former President Donald Trump claimed forced the rebels to “capitulate.” The US military, backed by its allies, had launched more than 1,000 airstrikes targeting the group’s infrastructure in response to their persistent attacks on commercial vessels.
The conflict, however, is far from over in the broader Middle East theatre. Even as the ceasefire was being declared, Israeli warplanes struck Sanaa, Yemen’s rebel-held capital, disabling the main airport and killing at least three individuals, according to Huthi sources. The strikes were reportedly in retaliation for a missile launched by the Huthis that landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport.
Despite the ceasefire, the Huthis have signaled that their confrontation with Israel will persist. Mahdi al-Mashat, a senior political figure in the rebel movement, vowed a “painful” response to Israeli airstrikes. “Attacks on Israel will continue and go beyond what the Israeli enemy can withstand,” he declared.
Mohammed Abdelsalam, a Huthi spokesman, told the Al-Masirah TV channel that while the group has agreed not to target US interests, this truce hinges on Washington maintaining its end of the bargain. “If the American enemy resumes its attacks, we will resume our strikes,” he warned.
The Huthis have consistently framed their Red Sea attacks as an act of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza. They had earlier paused their operations during a two-month Gaza ceasefire, but resumed threats in March after accusing Israel of blockading humanitarian aid to the besieged strip.
In the wake of Israel’s recent air raids, life in Sanaa has been thrown into chaos. The city’s airport is now non-operational, its director confirmed, citing “severe damage.” Additionally, three power stations were hit, resulting in widespread blackouts.
Residents have described the situation as dire. “Our children are terrified,” said Umm Abdallah, a 35-year-old mother in Sanaa. “They are afraid to go to the bathroom or eat because of the strikes.”
The airport, which only reopened to international flights in 2022 after a six-year Saudi-led blockade, had served as a critical humanitarian corridor, operating regular flights to Jordan via Yemen’s national airline.
Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, condemned the continuing attacks by both Israel and the Huthis, calling them “a grave escalation” that threatens to unravel any progress toward peace in the region.
The UN and several global powers have expressed concern that Israel’s widening military operations in Gaza—and its preemptive strikes on Yemen—could reignite regional conflict on multiple fronts.
In his remarks at the White House, Trump emphasized that the primary objective of US operations had been to safeguard maritime commerce. “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that’s… the purpose of what we were doing,” he said.
However, critics warn that without a long-term political solution, the ceasefire may prove fragile. The region remains a powder keg, with overlapping conflicts in Yemen, Gaza, and the broader Middle East feeding into each other.
While the ceasefire between the US and Huthi rebels brings temporary relief to Red Sea shipping routes, the broader regional dynamics remain tense. Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, and its retaliatory measures against the Huthis, continue to fan the flames of instability.
The coming weeks will test the durability of this ceasefire, especially amid heightened tensions involving Iran, proxy actors, and US interests in the region.