Yemen’s Houthis say attacks on Israel not in US ceasefire deal in ‘any way’

The US and Yemen’s Houthis agreed to an Oman-mediated deal to cease trading attacks after weeks of air strikes.

A ceasefire deal between Yemen’s Houthis and the United States does not include any operations against Israel, the group’s chief negotiator has announced.

Mohammed Abdulsalam told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that attacking Israel was not included in “any way, shape or form” in the agreement mediated by Oman.

The announcement of the deal came hours after Israeli warplanes targeted Yemen’s Sanaa airport. Airport director Khaled al-Shaief told Al Masirah on Wednesday that “around $500 million in losses were caused by the Israeli aggression” on the airport.

The deal was announced a day earlier by US President Donald Trump, who said attacks on Yemen against the Houthis would stop, effective immediately, after the group agreed to stop targeting vessels in the Red Sea.

In a statement on Tuesday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said 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.

The group also threatened to restart attacks on shipping, which had been paused since January, which triggered a response from the US military in the form of near-daily air strikes.

But announcing the agreement on Tuesday, Trump said the Houthis “don’t want to fight any more”.

“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 any more, and that’s… the purpose of what we were doing.”

But Abdulsalam told Houthi-affiliated news outlet Al Masirah TV that any US action would result in a response following the deal.

Attacks on shipping

“If the American enemy resumes its attacks, we will resume our strikes,” he said.

“The real guarantee for the accord is the dark experience that the United States has had in Yemen,” he added.

The Israeli military confirmed its defence system failed to shoot down the projectile, despite several attempts to intercept it, adding that an investigation was under way.