The United States and Yemen's Houthis have reached a ceasefire agreement, mediator Oman announced, saying the deal would ensure "freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea where the Iran-backed group have attacked shipping.
It comes after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would end its attacks against the Houthis after the Iran-backed group agreed to stop harassing ships in the Red Sea, though he made no direct mention of recent attacks on ally Israel.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on Tuesday that "following recent discussions and contacts... with the aim of de-escalation, efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides".
"Neither side will target the other... ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping" in the Red Sea, he added in a statement posted online.
In surprise comments at the White House, Trump said the Iran-backed group had "capitulated" after a near-daily, seven-week US bombing campaign that left 300 dead, according to an AFP tally of Houthi figures.
The head of Yemen's Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said the US halt of "aggression" against Yemen will be evaluated, according to a post on X.
He said the group would continue to support Gaza to end the war, indicating the ceasefire with the US did not include a halt to the group's attacks on Israel.
The attacks follow a Houthi missile strike on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, which the group called a warning to airlines.
Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at ships on the vital trade artery during the Israel-Hamas war since late 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
"The Huthis have announced... that they don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight," Trump said during a White House press appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"And we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated," he added.
"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".
Trump's comments came just hours after Israeli warplanes put rebel-held Sanaa's international airport out of action in a series of raids that killed three, according to the Houthis.
The Pentagon said last week that US strikes had hit more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since mid-March.
