A ceasefire that excludes Israel: The 2025 U.S.-Houthi truce
In short: In May 2025, a brokered ceasefire between the United States and the Houthi movement ended a year of intense maritime warfare. But while it secured U.S. shipping, it left a glaring geopolitical loophole: the agreement explicitly refused to apply to Israel, creating a complex, multi-layered reality for Middle Eastern security.
The ceasefire, brokered by Oman on May 6, 2025, followed a period of escalating violence that began in October 2023. The Houthis initially targeted international shipping to pressure Israel into ending its blockade of the Gaza Strip. In response, the U.S. and UK launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, which escalated into a large-scale campaign of cruise missile and airstrikes against Houthi military infrastructure starting on March 15, 2025.
The truce is defined by its specific limitations. While the Houthis agreed to halt attacks on U.S. vessels, they maintained their right to attack other vessels in the Red Sea. Crucially, the Houthis stated the deal did not apply to Israel in "any way, shape, or form." This led to significant friction; Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed frustration that they were not given advance notice and asserted that Israel would have to defend itself independently.
The motivations behind the deal are contested. President Donald Trump framed the truce as a Houthi capitulation, but administration officials suggested the U.S. backed down because airstrikes failed to achieve air superiority. Conversely, the Houthis claimed the U.S. backed down. To generate progress for 2025 talks involving the United States and Iran, evidence indicates that Iranian influence helped convince the Houthis to accept the ceasefire.
The long-term stability of the deal remains fragile. By June 2025, as the Iran-Israel 'Twelve-Day war' intensified, the Houthis threatened to end the ceasefire if the U.S. assisted Israel in strikes against Iran. Despite these threats, the Houthis did not immediately resume hostilities, though they did sink a Liberian-flagged cargo ship on July 6, 2025, targeting non-U.S. vessels.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: 2025 United States–Houthi ceasefire
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