US and Israel have different goals in Yemeni attacks
Speaking to Al Jazeera, former US diplomat Nabeel Khoury outlined what he described as diverging goals in parallel US and Israeli strikes on Yemen.
The US has said it is acting in self defence in response to Houthi strikes on commercial and naval ships. “To some extent the US is reluctant to push matters further into a full confrontation with the Houthis,” Khoury said.
“The Israelis, on the other hand, are retaliating for the missile that landed at Ben Gurion Airport, and the Israelis would like to push matters further,” he added.
“This fits in with the general plan that has been going on in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria. The Israelis, to some extent with American support although there’s some division in Washington, want to change the political landscape. They want to silence any voices from any forces that oppose them.”
Houthis say they’ll retaliate against Israel ‘in the coming hours’
Pro-Houthi journalist Hussain al-Bukhaiti reports the armed group has vowed to respond to the “dozens” of Israeli attacks with new missile strikes targeting Israeli airports and energy infrastructure in the coming hours.
“They have announced Ben Gurion airport has become a legitimate target and warned airlines they should not use that airport,” al-Bukhaiti told Al Jazeera. “They’ve said any causalities caused will be the responsibility of Israel and those airlines.”
The retaliation could involve “dozens of ballistic missiles, drones, and cruise missiles”, he added.
The Houthis will continue their attacks until Israel agrees to a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, removes its blockade on aid reaching the Palestinians, and “stops its genocide”, said al-Bukhaiti.
3 killed in Israeli strikes on Yemen: Houthi-affiliated media
Al Masirah reports three people have been killed and 38 people wounded in the air strikes on Sanaa airport, the cement factory, and locations in the area. Citing the Health Ministry, the Houthi-affiliated news outlet did not specify where the deaths occurred. Al Jazeera could not immediately verify the toll.
Trump says Houthis ‘don’t want to fight’ and US bombings will stop
The US president has said the Houthis have told his administration that they no longer want to “fight” and that they would halt attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes.
“The Houthis have announced that they don’t want to fight anymore,” Trump told reporters at the White House alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“They just don’t want to fight. And we will honour that, and we will, we will stop the bombings, and they have capitulated, but more importantly, they we will take their word they say they will not be blowing up ships anymore,” he said.
“We just found out about that. So I think that’s very, very positive … I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the booties, effective immediately,” he said.
The Houthis have not confirmed the pause. The US has been striking the Houthis on a near daily basis.
