Trump says Houthis have 'capitulated'
Trump says Houthis have 'capitulated'
Houthi attacks on vessels such as the Greek-flagged oil tanker 'Sounion' have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal. Photo: AFP
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have agreed to halt attacks on shipping, in a surprise announcement at the White House.
The Houthis began targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel's military after a shock Hamas attack that year.
"The Houthis have announced... that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated," Trump said.
"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."
Attacks by the Houthis have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal – a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of the world's shipping traffic.
The United States began carrying out strikes against the Houthis in early 2024 under President Joe Biden, and Trump's administration launched renewed attacks on the rebels starting on March 15.
The Pentagon said last week that US strikes had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since mid-March, in an operation that has been dubbed "Rough Rider." (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
20 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
‘Everything politicised': Tokyo protesters hold anti-Trump ‘No Kings' rally
A small but dedicated band of demonstrators took to the streets of Tokyo on Saturday, one of the first cities in the world to stage a 'No Crowns! No Kings! No Tyrants!' protest against the policies of United States President Donald Trump. Thousands of similar protests took place around the world and in all 50 US states on June 14, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the American army, coinciding with Trump's 79th birthday. The movement is aimed at opposing a rare military parade in Washington hosted by Trump, which comes days after unrest in Los Angeles over his immigration raids. The demonstration in front of Tokyo's busy Shibuya railway station was among the first in the world due to Japan's geographical location. Critics say the massive military parade that rolled through Washington on Saturday was a waste of around US$90 million in federal funds at a time when public services in America are being slashed. Others among the more than 20 protesters – including Japanese – defying the rain in Tokyo on Saturday gave a range of reasons for their presence.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump tariffs challenge Asean's unity and economic stability
When US President Donald Trump 's tariff chaos eventually calms, its long-lasting consequences will significantly affect the area just south of China and east of India – Southeast Asia – and its organisational bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( Asean ). Trump's focus on protectionism is likely to replace uniform tariffs with varying import taxes for different countries. This shift could create divisive and harmful effects for Southeast Asia and Asean, which are interchangeable but distinct, fostering competition rather than enhancing cooperation among their economies. The time has come to think of this central Indo-Pacific neighbourhood more as a Southeast Asian region and less as an Asean organisation of production networks and global supply chains. To be sure, Trump's unilateral tariffs across Washington's geoeconomic chessboard pose a critical test for Asean. The Southeast Asian grouping has weathered many geopolitical and geoeconomic storms in its 58-year existence, but few are as serious as the Trump tariffs. Asean risks facing further division, reduction, and irrelevance unless it can reorganise and unite. Over the last 13 years, Asean has already faced complicated divisions due to the US-China rivalry , Beijing's aggressive actions in the South China Sea , Myanmar's 2021 coup and subsequent civil war, along with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The responses of Asean member states to these challenges have varied.
RTHK
2 hours ago
- RTHK
Trump attends US Army's 250th anniversary parade
Trump attends US Army's 250th anniversary parade The procession was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017. Photo: AFP The grand military parade that US President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barrelled down Constitution Avenue on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against a counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the US leader as a dictator and would-be king. The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument. The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognising the Army's 250th anniversary. 'Every other country celebrates their victories. It's about time America did too,' Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade's end. Early in the evening's pageantry, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team descended from overcast skies toward the reviewing stand. The team had been scheduled to appear at the end of the parade, but jumped earlier than planned in the drizzly skies above the National Mall. At times, Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when steamy weather and the threat of thunderstorms could have dampened turnout. Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to sound off against the Republican president. They criticised Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the US capital. The daylong display of America's Army came as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other US presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard over the governor's objections and dispatched the US Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments. (AP)
