On May 7, an agreement was established between the United States and the Houthi armed group in Yemen to cease exchanging attacks. The US says that shortly before this sudden announcement of the agreement, signs began to appear that Houthi fighters were looking for a way to stop exchanging attacks. This was due to the relentless US air strikes targeting the Houthis for seven consecutive weeks.
Since November 2023, the Houthis had been attacking Jewish and US-linked ships traveling in the Red Sea to show that the Yemeni people stand with the Palestinian people in connection with Israel’s aggressive attacks to ethnically cleanse the people of Gaza in Palestine. In response, the US intensified its attacks on Yemen targeting the Houthis after Donald Trump took office as US President earlier this year. Although the US attacks on Yemen were previously expected to continue throughout the year, after just 52 days, the US suddenly announced that both sides had agreed to cease exchanging attacks. This paved the way for Trump to declare victory over the Houthis before departing on his current Middle East trip.
Some US government sources said the Houthis were communicating with US-allied Middle Eastern countries during the first week of May. From that point, it became clear that the Houthis no longer wanted to continue exchanging attacks, he said. When signs began to appear in early May that the Houthis wanted to stop exchanging attacks, US Defense Secretary Pete Heggseth initiated meetings at the White House. Those meetings revealed an opportunity to stop exchanging attacks. Two other sources said Iran, which supports the Houthis, was strongly urging the group to discuss stopping the exchange of attacks. Iran gave such instructions to the Houthis at a time when the US and Iran are also in talks mediated by Oman regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
The sudden establishment of an agreement between the Houthis and the US demonstrates the speed of the US government’s work. When an opportunity arose, they took advantage of it and successfully achieved something that was thought to be difficult to accomplish otherwise. Among the tactics Trump used to achieve this was not including in the agreement with the Houthis that attacks on Israel, a country with close ties to the US, must stop. It is understood that the US reached an agreement with the Houthis without discussing it with Israel.
The exchange of attacks was not only damaging to the Houthi group. The US was also suffering major losses. The US also had to incur large expenses to attack the Houthis. US losses included the use of a large number of weapons, the downing of two aircraft, and the shooting down of many drones.
Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Whitcoff, held indirect consultations with the Houthis through Oman. He is also a leading US envoy in conducting US-Iran talks. Whitcoff held indirect consultations with Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthi group’s spokesman who leads the consultations on behalf of the Houthis. Abdulsalam was communicating in real-time with Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the top Houthi leader. An agreement was reached between the two sides in consultations held on May 5. The next day, Trump announced the agreement and said the US had achieved victory over the Houthis. Trump said the Houthis had asked not to be bombed and in return said they would not attack US ships.
Abdulsalam said all consultations were conducted through Oman. He said the Houthi attacks were defensive responses to US attacks. Therefore, he said if the US does not launch aggressive attacks against Yemen, the Houthis will not need to launch retaliatory attacks against the US.
Benefits of the agreement for both sides
Both the US and the Houthis had benefits from reaching an agreement. By stopping the exchange of attacks, the Houthis will have the opportunity to strengthen the group at a time when it has been weakened. If US attacks had continued for a long time, the risks to the group would have been very high.
On March 15, when the US intensified its attacks against the Houthis, the group said that no matter how many attacks the US launched, as long as the US was attacking Yemen, the group would not stop attacking US ships traveling in the Red Sea. The US also said that if Houthi attacks did not stop, US attacks on Yemen would not stop either.
It was then believed that attacks by the US against the relentless Houthis, who work tirelessly without backing down, would be a costly endeavor for the US if prolonged. The US has used a large number of weapons in over 1,100 attacks against the Houthis. Even after Trump took office, the Houthis have shot down seven US MQ-9 drones. Each of those drones costs several million dollars. In addition, two US fighter jets have also been lost due to the Houthis. Trump’s efforts to reduce Houthi power in March came after efforts by Joe Biden’s previous administration to weaken and devalue the Houthis had failed. Even then, the Houthis were facing attacks from the Saudi-led military coalition that had been ongoing for about 10 years, while also launching attacks against the US and Israel. The US military’s Central Command had proposed spreading out attacks against the Houthis over eight months.
The US has so far spent over $1 billion on bombing Yemen. Those attacks have killed many mid-level Houthi fighters. And Houthi command centers, air defense systems, and weapons manufacturing and storage facilities have been destroyed. In addition, Houthi ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones have also suffered major damage. However, these attacks have not caused much damage to Houthi leaders. Weapons and fighters have not been reduced either. After each attack, the Houthis would rise again and launch retaliatory attacks. This demonstrates the group’s strength and level of resources.
Some experts believe that the Houthis agreed to stop exchanging attacks after the US attacked the important Yemeni port of Ras Issa on April 17. 74 people were killed in that attack. It is believed that the attack on that port greatly weakened the Houthis and closed avenues for the group to carry out projects and raise funds.
Although the Houthis have stopped their attacks against the US, the group’s attacks against Israel are still ongoing. This also shows that while US attacks have weakened the group to some extent, Houthi power is still strong. Israel also continues to launch attacks targeting the Houthis. In this situation, questions arise about how long the US and Houthis will maintain the cessation of exchanging attacks. As Israeli crimes are committed with US support, from that perspective, experts analyzing the scene believe it is possible the Houthis may again start launching attacks against the US at some point.
