The US deal, announced just hours after the Israeli military
carried out major strikes against Yemen’s international airport and other
facilities in response to a Houthi attack on Israel’s main airport, was a
surprise to Israel, which was not informed in advance about the truce, an Israeli
official told CNN.
According to Trump, the US would halt an ongoing military
campaign against the Houthis in exchange for the group stopping its attacks on
US interests in the region.
The Houthis acknowledged the agreement but made it clear
their attacks on Israel would continue. Senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali
al-Houthi said after the announcement that the agreement was “a victory that
separates US support for the temporary entity (Israel) and a failure for Netanyahu.”
On Wednesday, Netanyahu said, “Israel will defend itself by itself.” In the
past, Israel has carried out joint strikes with the US against the Houthis, but
two consecutive days of Israeli attacks on Yemen earlier this week were done
alone.
“If others join us—our American friends—all the better. If
they don’t, we will still defend ourselves on our own,” he said in a video
posted on social media.
Trump referred to the deal as capitulation from the Houthis
on Tuesday but on Wednesday he said they had a “good outcome with the Houthis,”
adding they had a “great capacity to withstand punishment” from repeated US
strikes.
“You could say there’s a lot of bravery there,” Trump said
at a swearing-in of his ambassador to China at the White House. “It was amazing
what they took.”
He added that the US would “honor their (Houthis’)
commitment” not to attack US warships or commercial vessels in the region.
The US-Houthi truce sidelined the Israeli government,
according to former US Middle East envoy Dennis Ross. He noted that Netanyahu
was left in the dark when the US began talks with Hamas in March and only found
out about US nuclear talks with Iran when Trump made the announcement seated
next to the prime minister in the Oval Office last month. The US-Houthi
ceasefire is one more instance where Israel’s concerns were a tertiary
consideration for the White House, if at all, he said.
Whether Houthi ballistic missile launches against Israel
continue remains to be seen, but Ross told CNN that Israel does not appear to
have been a major factor in the White House’s thought process.
“The Trump Administration thinks about America’s interests,”
said Ross.
There has been no public criticism of the White House
decision from Israeli officials. Netanyahu, who once openly criticized the
Biden administration’s requests and policies, is one of Trump’s most vocal
international supporters. Other members of the government have reserved their
judgment as well, instead focusing on Israel’s resolve against the Houthis.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement on Thursday
that “Israel must be able to defend itself by itself against any threat and any
enemy. This has been true in the face of many past challenges, and it will
remain true in the future.”
Trump designated the Houthi group as a Foreign Terrorist
Organization in the final days of his first term as president. President Joe
Biden revoked that designation early in his presidency in 2021, and Trump designated
it again in January.
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