US to end bombings of Houthis in Yemen, says Trump

He claims militants agreed to stop attacks on ships; Oman says it mediated the deal

- 

WASHINGTON/CAIRO — President Donald Trump announced on May 6 that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen, saying that the Iran-backed group had agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.

After Mr. Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal, marking a major shift in Houthi policy since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.

Under the agreement, neither the US nor the Houthis would target each other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Oman said in a statement.

The statement from Oman did not mention whether the Houthis had agreed to stop attacks on Israel. Mr. Mahdi al-Mashat, head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Political Council, said the group would continue to support Gaza and that such attacks would continue.

"To all Zionists, from now on, stay in shelters or leave to your countries immediately as your failed government will not be able to protect you after today," the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV cited him as saying.