President Trump announced on Tuesday that
the United States would halt its strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
- Talks mediated by the Sultanate of Oman have reportedly produced an
agreement in exchange for a cessation of strikes by the Houthis against
U.S. ships in the Red Sea. [Politico / Jack Detsch and Felicia Schwartz]
- The announced ceasefire comes in advance of Trump's scheduled trip
next week to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Trump
stated that he would make "one of the most important announcements that
have been made in many years about a certain subject" before departing. [NYT / Chris Cameron]
- In response to the announcement, DEFP Middle East Program Director
Rosemary Kelanic stated: "President Trump's surprise announcement that
the U.S. will stop airstrikes against the Houthis is the right decision,
regardless of whether the group stops targeting U.S. vessels. The
Houthi threat was always more hype than substance. . . . President
Trump's bold choice shows there are offramps from endless escalation in
the Middle East—the U.S. simply has to take them." [DEFP]
Read the full statement here.
Uncertainty remains
It's unclear whether the ceasefire will hold if the Houthis continue to attack Israeli targets. Israel claims Trump had not discussed the deal beforehand and that it was caught off-guard by the announcement.
- On Sunday, Houthi missiles struck Ben Gurion Airport in Jerusalem,
wounding six. Israel responded by launching strikes across Yemen,
killing three and wounding 30. [BBC / Tom Bennet]
- After the deal was announced, a member of the Houthi Political
Council stated that the group's operations against Israel will not stop
"until the end of the aggression on Gaza and blockade on its people." [Bloomberg / Skylar Woodhouse and Mohammed Hatem]
- On Sunday, Israel approved a plan to permanently occupy all of
Gaza, displacing its two million Palestinian residents and flattening
all its remaining buildings, if a hostage/ceasefire deal is not reached
before May 15. [Axios / Barak Ravid]
- Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program. [Reuters / Samia Nakhoul, Humeyra Pamuk and Parisa Hafezi]
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