Houthis: US deal ’embarrasses’ Israel, attacks will continue

The ceasefire agreement between the Houthis and the US “serves the Palestinian cause and embarrasses Israel,” an unnamed spokesperson for the Iran-backed rebel group tells Al Jazeera, as officials confirm that the deal will not halt attacks on Israel.

“We will continue targeting Israeli ships until aid is delivered to Gaza,” the spokesman continues, saying, “We will assess any future American support for Israel and determine our position accordingly.”

“Our response to the Israeli entity is inevitably coming,” he adds, after Israeli Air Force fighter jets bombarded the international airport in the capital Sana’a, the Hodeida port and a concrete factory in Houthi-controlled areas over the last two days.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief Houthi negotiator, tells Reuters that “the agreement does not include Israel in any way, shape or form.”

He tells Yemen’s Al-Masirah network that “the agreement was to halt American aggression against Yemen in exchange for stopping attacks on American ships — with no mention whatsoever of targeting the territory of the Zionist regime.”

An Israeli official tells the Associated Press that the deal came as a surprise to Jerusalem, which is concerned because of what it means for the continuation of hostilities between it and the Houthis.