Trump said U.S. will stop bombing Houthi militants, but who knows if it will actually work? The Houthis may or may not stop attacking ships, which is supposedly why the U.S. was bombing them in the first place. Smoke from a U.S. airstrike in Yemen last month is still lingering in the air, but maybe things will calm down now.
On May 6, 2025, a deal was reached between the United States and the Houthis in Yemen to put a pause on American airstrikes against the group. This was all thanks to some Omani mediators and the fact that the Iranian-backed militants promised to stop attacking American ships in the Red Sea. President Trump casually dropped this bombshell news during a meeting with Canada’s prime minister, catching even his own Pentagon officials off guard.
“They’re just not feeling the whole fighting vibe right now,” Trump nonchalantly mentioned. “So, we’re going to respect that and stop the bombings. They’ve basically surrendered, and more importantly, we’re going to trust them when they say they won’t be blowing up ships anymore.”
However, despite Trump’s confident proclamation, it’s still up in the air whether the U.S. actually achieved its goal of preventing the Houthis from messing with international shipping after a pretty expensive seven-week bombing spree. The Houthis themselves didn’t explicitly agree to a full cease-fire, stating that they still plan to take on Israel. Houthi officials and supporters wasted no time in spinning the deal as a massive win for the militia and a big loss for Trump, starting a social media trend with the hashtag “Yemen defeats America.”
For over a year now, the Houthis have been launching projectiles and drones at both commercial and military ships in the Red Sea. They claim it’s a show of support for Gaza and Hamas, the militant group ruling over the Palestinian territory.
So, like, we’re not really sure why this whole situation matters so much, but it seems like the U.S. and the Houthis are trying to cool things off for now. Will it actually work? Who knows. But at least Trump can say he gave peace a shot.
