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BBC News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Houthis say US 'backed down' and Israel not covered by ceasefire
Houthis say US 'backed down' and Israel not covered by ceasefire 8 minutes ago Share Save David Gritten BBC News Share Save Reuters The Houthis' top negotiator said their support for the Palestinian people in Gaza "will not change" A senior Houthi official has rejected US President Donald Trump's claim the Yemeni armed group "capitulated" when agreeing a ceasefire deal, saying the US "backed down" instead. "What changed is the American position, but our position remains firm," chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam told Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV. Mediator Oman said the US and Houthis had agreed to "no longer target each other", after seven weeks of intensified US strikes on Yemen in response to Houthi missile and drone attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Abdul Salam also said the deal did not include an end to attacks on Israel, which has conducted two rounds of retaliatory strikes on Yemen this week. The Houthis' support for the Palestinian people in Gaza "will not change", he added. The Iran-backed group has controlled much of north-western Yemen since 2014, when they ousted the internationally-recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, and sparked a devastating civil war. Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and killed four crew members. They have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK. The Houthis were not deterred by the deployment of Western warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels last year, or by multiple rounds of US strikes on military targets ordered by former President Joe Biden. On 15 March, Trump ordered an intensification of the air campaign against the Houthis and threatened that they would be "completely annihilated". At the end of April, the US military said it had struck more than 800 targets, including command-and-control facilities, air defence systems and advanced weapons manufacturing and storage facilities. It also said the strikes had killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and "numerous Houthi leaders", without naming them. Houthi-run authorities have said the strikes have killed dozens of civilians, but they have reported few casualties among the group's members. At the White House on Tuesday, Trump announced that the Houthis had said 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," he said. "But, more importantly, we will take their word." "They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore and that's what the purpose of what we were doing." Later, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi wrote on X: "In the future, 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." Reuters Several aircraft were reportedly destroyed in Israeli air strikes on Sanaa's airport on Tuesday
Middle East Eye
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Houthi spokesman condemns US air strike on immigrant detention centre
The Houthi spokesman has condemned the recent US attack on a detention centre holding African immigrants. Mohammed Abdul Salam criticised the US for its "brutality" on X, stating that the strike would "not cover up the military failure" the US is facing in its Yemen aggression. He further asserted that continuing the assault would yield no success. Abdul Salam also pointed to the international community's silence on the air strikes, claiming it 'encourages' Washington to persist in attacking residential areas, misrepresenting them as military targets. He added that such claims from Washington do not make them true, arguing that the US is deliberately committing crimes and terrorism. As reported earlier, at least 68 people died in the attack, and 47 others were injured.
Al Bawaba
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Death toll hits 68 after U.S. airstrike on migrant shelter in Yemen
ALBAWABA- The death toll from a U.S. airstrike on a migrant detention facility in Yemen's Saada city has risen to 68, with 47 others injured, according to Houthi-run Civil Defense authorities. The victims were primarily African migrants, many reportedly seeking to reach Saudi Arabia for work. Houthi spokesperson and head of the negotiating team in Muscat, Mohammed Abdul Salam, condemned the strike as a "brutal crime" in a statement posted on X. He accused the U.S. administration of deliberately targeting innocent migrants, claiming the facility housed over 100 individuals at the time of the bombing. جريمة وحشية أقدمت عليها الإدارة الأمريكية فجر اليوم بحق مهاجرين أفارقة أبرياء بقصف مركز إيواء لهم في صعدة يضم أكثر من مائة مهاجر غير شرعي. إن هذه الوحشية التي عليها الإدارة الأمريكية لن تغطي على الإخفاق العسكري الذي تعاني منه في عدوانها على اليمن، وإن التمادي في العدوان لن يجلب… — محمد عبدالسلام (@abdusalamsalah) April 28, 2025 "This brutality will not mask the U.S. administration's military failures in Yemen," Abdul Salam wrote. "Continuing the aggression will achieve nothing but further crimes. America's targeting of residential areas, while falsely portraying them as military sites, reveals deliberate acts of terrorism." Emergency teams rushed to the scene, working to extinguish fires and rescue victims trapped under rubble. The strike on the Sa'dah facility marks the latest deadly incident in a surge of U.S. attacks on Houthi-controlled areas since April 18, when a U.S. assault on Ras Isa port in Hodeida killed 76 people and wounded hundreds, mostly civilian workers, in what has been described as one of the gravest atrocities of Trump's second term in Yemen. Just hours earlier, separate U.S. strikes on Arhab and Sana'a reportedly killed multiple civilians, including women and children. The attack has triggered outrage among activists, who warn of escalating civilian casualties under 'Operation Rough Rider,' the Trump administration's ongoing campaign in Yemen. The incident also comes as Washington simultaneously engages in delicate nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Houthis' principal regional ally.
Khabar Agency
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Khabar Agency
Houthi Militants, Including Foreign Operatives, Killed in Blast During Maritime Attack Preparation
An explosion at a Houthi militia site in Yemen's Red Sea coast killed several militants, including senior leaders and foreign fighters—one identified as an Iraqi national—while injuring others during preparations for a maritime attack, sources confirmed on Wednesday. The blast occurred Tuesday evening in Hodeidah's Al-Kathib district, near a covert facility used by the Iran-aligned Houthi group to assemble naval mines and explosive-laden boats intended to target international shipping routes, according to local sources. Sources reported that a technical error during the handling of explosives triggered the detonation as militants readied a booby-trapped vessel and mine-equipped boats for deployment. The explosion killed multiple operatives instantly, with injured survivors rushed to Al-Thawra Hospital in Hodeidah. The incident followed the Houthi faction's defiant announcement earlier Tuesday resuming offensive operations in strategic waterways, including the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This escalation coincides with recent U.S. sanctions targeting top Houthi figures, such as Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the group's Political Council, and spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam, based in Oman. The U.S. Treasury's move comes months after designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization. Regional analysts assert that the militia's persistent aggression underscores its reliance on Iranian support and collaboration with foreign combat advisors from Iraq and Lebanon. 'This incident exposes the Houthis' reckless endangerment of regional stability and their disregard for diplomatic solutions,' said a Yemeni security official, speaking anonymously.
Khabar Agency
09-03-2025
- Business
- Khabar Agency
Oman Is Supporting The Houthis: It Should Be Held To Account
A showdown may be brewing in the Middle East. Judging from the rhetoric of both Hamas and Israel, the ceasefire in Gaza is likely to collapse. Should war return, there is a high likelihood that the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen will also get back into the action. If past is prologue, the Houthis will fire ballistic missiles at Israel, while simultaneously targeting U.S. warships and international maritime vessels in the Red Sea. With conflict looming, the Trump administration must begin to consider its options. This is a White House that says it wants to avoid war. One non-kinetic option is to put pressure on the Sultanate of Oman to shutter its Houthi headquarters. The Sultanate provides sanctuary for Houthi officials, including the group's chief negotiator and de facto foreign minister, Mohammed Abdul Salam. These individuals operate freely under the protection of the regime in Muscat. The Biden administration wrestled with how to deal with this problem in recent years. In the end, the policy was to tread lightly, maintaining a strong defense partnership with Muscat. As of 2022, U.S. military sales to Oman totaled $3.5 billion. Since 2016, the United States has approved $613 million in Direct Commercial Sales exports, including small arms, ammunition, and military electronics. But these transactions are small, all things considered. This prompts the question: Why would the United States handle Oman with kid gloves? Until now, the United States has bought into the narrative, posited by Oman, that the government in Muscat hosts the Houthi leadership to help find a solution for the Yemeni Civil War. One of the group's leaders, Ali Al Houthi, has reinforced this narrative, stating that 'direct dialogue with the United States is impossible and can only occur through their negotiating team in Muscat.' Yet, there is no evidence that this channel has served to benefit the United States. Even as this channel remained open, the Houthis emerged as the first ever terrorist group to maintain ballistic missile capabilities. This is a dangerous dynamic to normalize. Similarly, the Houthi aggression directed at American vessels in the Red Sea region marked the greatest volume of threats faced by the U.S. Navy since World War II. Meanwhile, the Houthis have shut down most maritime traffic in the Red Sea for more than a year. The corridor accounts for roughly 12 percent of global maritime trade. This simply cannot continue. The Omanis are obviously aware of these challenges, and they have done nothing to rein in the terrorist group that operates on their soil. Instead, Omani officials have praised the Houthis. The state-backed Grand Mufti of Oman, Ahmad al-Khalili, lauded the Houthis' piracy. Khalili also praised Hamas for its attacks against Israel. Although the grand mufti does not speak officially for the Omani government, his statements are influential. As a tribute, some of Hamas' fighters adorned Omani flags on their chests during a recent hostage release. An official from the Omani Foreign Ministry condemned U.S. and British strikes against the Houthis in January, 2024. Omani rhetoric is only part of the problem. Since 2015, Oman has provided the Houthis with a corridor for weapon smuggling, and access to the international financial system. In 2017, UAVs used by the Houthis entered Yemen through Oman. In 2018, a UN panel noted that Burkan-2H missiles arrived in Yemen most likely through the Omani land route. Oman was also the smuggling route for cash and gold destined for the Houthis during that period, and there is nothing to suggest that this smuggling has halted. Last year, advanced military equipment including drone-support systems and radar-jamming devices were seized at the Sarfayt crossing in Al-Mahra province in Yemen. These devices were likely intended to support Houthi drone attacks against vessels in the Red Sea. The Omani banking system is no less of a problem. The country's banks are full-fledged participants in the U.S.-led international financial system. This affords the Houthis officials based there the ability to send and receive funds—including in U.S. dollar denominations—with fewer complications. Amid all of this, Iranian emissaries regularly visit Muscat to meet with their Houthi proxies. These meetings are probably operational in nature, with Iranian military figures providing intelligence and targeting data to their Yemeni allies. As recently, on February 11, Oman's top military officer, Vice Admiral Abdullah Al Raisi, met with Iran's military chief Major-General Mohammad Bagheri in Tehran. The two discussed strengthening defense cooperation amid rising regional tensions. Raisi is also set to attend a forthcoming defense exhibition and meet with commanders from Iran's navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Admittedly, Oman understands that there would be costs in defying Iran. It is a weak country that cannot afford to tussle with the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism. However, as much as there is risk for Oman, there is also reward. The two countries jointly control the Strait of Hormuz, a key global chokepoint through which over 40 percent of the world's crude oil flows. Maintaining friendly ties with Tehran is, therefore, a strategic and long-term priority for Muscat. Omanis are also quick to remind their critics that it has played a central role in advancing America's Iran agenda when asked. It hosted the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal discussions during Obama's presidency and later facilitated negotiations between the Biden administration and Tehran in 2023. A Senate report from 2018 confirmed that Omani banks, at the behest of the Obama administration, helped Iran gain access to its foreign reserves after the 2015 nuclear deal came into effect. None of this grants the country a free pass for hosting the Houthis or their Iranian patrons. Oman cannot have it both ways—it cannot benefit from American friendship and assistance while enabling a crisis in the Middle East. The time has come to call out Oman's double game and consider punitive measures. The recent designation of the Houthis by the Trump administration as a Foreign Terrorist Organization creates a legal basis for such steps. The United States has a clear predicate for calling upon Oman to shut down the Houthi headquarters operating on its soil and to jettison the Houthi leaders who have been based there. If Oman refuses, the United States should consider imposing sanctions on individuals and entities in Oman that support the Houthis. Failure to act after that should spur a full rupture in U.S.-Oman relations.
