Trump announces deal to end Houthi bombings
Donald Trump said the US will stop bombing Yemen after the Houthi rebels agreed to stop attacking Red Sea ships.
The president said in the Oval Office that the Iran-backed group had 'capitulated' to his demands.
Mr Trump said: 'We had some very good news last night. The Houthis have announced that they are not, or they've announced to us at least, that they don't want to fight any more.
'They just don't want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings. And they have capitulated. But more importantly, we will take their word they say they will not be blowing up ships any more, and that's what the purpose of what we were doing.'
Mr Trump said he had heard the information from a 'very, very good source'.
His words come as Israeli warplanes bombed the airport in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sana'a on Tuesday, the latest retaliation for a missile strike by the Iran-backed Houthis that targeted Israel's main airport.
Plumes of thick, black smoke were seen billowing from the airport area after a series of strikes shook the impoverished Arab country's capital.
Residents reported power outages in Sana'a and the Houthis-controlled port city of Hodeida, after the Israelis struck three electricity stations in and around the capital, according to the rebels.
Israel's military said it took the airport 'fully' out of action after hitting runways and aircraft. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
A previous Israeli attack on the airport in December killed six people, according to Houthi media.
Mr Trump ordered bombings in Yemen shortly after entering office and has carried out raids with the help of the Royal Airforce.
In recent days it has also joined Israel in retaliatory attacks in response to a ballistic missile hitting the main airport in Israel.
Israel has now launched two volleys of strikes after a Houthi missile penetrated the perimeter of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport for the first time on Sunday, leaving a large crater and wounding six people.
Houthi authorities said that on Monday four people were killed and 35 wounded as Israel's initial reprisal strikes hit a cement factory and targets in Hodeida.
Four people were killed on May 5 after a strike on a cement factory, pictured, and Hodeida - Houthi Media Center/Getty
On Tuesday, the Israeli military said in a statement that its 'fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sana'a, fully disabling the airport'.
'Flight runways, aircraft and infrastructure at the airport were struck.'
Israel targeted the airport because it 'served as a central hub for the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons and operatives', the statement said.
Just before Tuesday's attacks, Israel's military urged Yemeni civilians to 'immediately' evacuate the airport and 'stay away from the area'.
'Failing to evacuate may put you at risk,' military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X in Arabic.
The Houthis promised to hit back.
Supporting Gaza
The 'aggression will not pass without a response and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza', the Houthi political bureau said in a statement.
The Houthis have been attacking Israel and shipping in the Red Sea trade route since the start of the war in Gaza October 2023, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
Video footage shows a man and an ambulance near a cement factory that was hit by Israeli air strikes - Shutterstock
Yemen, much of it under Houthi control for more than a decade, has already been under sustained US attack since mid-March, when the US military began near-daily strikes after months of sporadic raids.
The latest exchanges come as regional tensions soar anew over Israel's plan to expand military operations in the Gaza Strip and displace much of the besieged territory's population.
The Houthis blamed Israel and its ally the United States for the latest strikes. While Israel claimed responsibility, US officials have denied any involvement.
'US forces did not participate in the Israeli strikes on Yemen today,' a US defence official told AFP on Tuesday.
As well as the airport and power stations, the latest raids also hit a cement factory in Amran, rebel media said.
'Many bangs'
They may not be the last. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said retaliation 'will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs'.
Hans Grundberg, the United Nations' special envoy for Yemen, called the exchange of strikes 'a grave escalation in an already fragile and volatile regional context'.
'I once again urge all stakeholders to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from escalatory actions that risk inflicting further suffering on civilians,' he posted on X.
Israel says it has targeted Yemen five times since July 2024, with Houthi authorities reporting a total of 29 people killed. Israel's army regularly intercepts missiles from Yemen.
Sana'a's airport, which reopened to international flights in 2022 after a six-year blockade by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, offers a regular service to Jordan on the home-grown Yemenia airline.
Mr Trump's Houthi announcement comes ahead of his trip to the Middle East due to start on Monday.
In his press conference he also said he had a major announcement to make, although did not specify what it would be about.
'It'll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, very important subject,' he said.
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